We Will Face the Darkness, Together
by Zanza Flux
Summary: It's a race to head back to the Studio before Henry looses everything.
1. Time to Go Back

**A/N:** This story is separate from my Slice of Life stories. This story picks up right where "All These Shadows Keep Closing In..." left off. If you haven't read that one yet, please do. It explains a lot. It's based on the ink! Henry stories and artwork done by shinyzango and themarginalartist on tumblr.

 **Disclaimer:** Bendy and the Ink Machine is owned by TheMeatly. I only own my Ocs.

 **.**

 **We Will Face The Darkness, Together.**

.

"The S-Studio?" Jason looked at him wide eyed. The implications of what that meant slowly sinking in.

Henry turned and headed for the stairs. He didn't have time to explain. It would take him maybe five hours to reach the Studio. Traffic laws be damned! He just needed June's car keys and-

"Henry wait!" He felt a hand grip his shoulder. Henry growled and pulled away from Jason. There was no time for this!

"You're not goin' alone, bro." No! He was not putting another person in his family in danger. He would have said as much but Jason cut him off.

"There's no way in the world you're gonna tell me to stay here!" Jason walked past him. He grabbed his leather jacket and the keys to 'Lucy' from the closet. He headed for the front door. "You aren't alone. Not anymore, bro. Besides, we both have a lot to loose."

Henry stood in the living room for just a moment before following his brother-in-law out the door. Truthfully, he didn't have the right to tell Jason to stay behind, no matter how much he wanted to keep him safe. Deep down, Henry knew he was right. They both had too much to loose for him to refuse help.

Henry and Jason hopped into the red big rig. She roared to life, they pulled out, and hit the road.

"Alright bro, where am I heading?" Henry was slightly startled. He forgot that neither June nor Jason had ever been to the studio before. Even when he worked there, he didn't bring his sister to the studio. They were always so busy trying to meet deadlines, he never got the chance to. He sighed and gave Jason the directions.

"Hmm, I can get us there in four, maybe five hours top! We shouldn't run into too much traffic at this time of night." Henry was almost relieved by Jason's confidence. Still the thought that his sister and the kids got dragged to that hellhole made him furious. When he found out whoever was behind this…he would make them wish they never messed with his loved ones.

His thoughts were interrupted by Jason's voice. "What?"

Jason shook his head but never took his eyes off the road. "I said, where are you bro? You started growling all of a sudden." Henry groaned and ran his hand down his face. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

"Sorry Jay. I-I'm just worried about everyone. I knew I would have to go back there someday, but not like this!" He could feel the pentagram throbbing lightly and he closed his hand into a tight fist. "If anything happens to them-"

"We're gonna get them back bro! I promise, we're gonna bring them all home." Henry could hear the determination in Jason's voice. He just hoped they get there in time.

"Now, tell me what we're up against." Henry closed his eyes and pictured the ink flooded halls of the studio in his mind. He began to tell Jason about the things he faced as he and Bendy tried to escape.

.

 **-In The Studio-**

.

The three ink creatures emerged from the portal with their precious cargo. Alice made sure to moved as far away from the ink demon she could get without actually leaving the room. The last thing she wanted was for him to touch her. She looked down at the unconscious toon under her arm. He really was perfect. Maybe if she had his heart, she could finally find perfection, and she wouldn't have to fear the ink demon's touch.

The sound of footsteps got the trio's attention. A woman approached them. She wore a off white blouse with ruffles that ran down the center, a brown pencil skirt that went down to her knees, and cream colored flats. Her salt and pepper hair was done up in a tight bun. At first glance, she looked like a no nonsense business woman. The creatures of the studio knew better. She had a leather choker around her neck. It was studded with red gems that she stroked every now and again. She also had cold grey eyes.

"I see you lot were successful." She stopped a few feet from them and surveyed their 'cargo'. The woman walked over to Sammy. He stiffened slightly as she reached out. She put her thin fingers under Beth's chin and lifted her head to get a better look at the child. She hummed softly before letting the little girl's head fall.

"Sammy. Take them to the break room on the upper levels. Keep an eye on them until I call for you." He hissed softly and wasted no time exiting the room. He didn't want to be anywhere near the 'Master'. She had a short temper and tended to take her frustrations out on him. He had to get the girls to the room before they woke up. He just hoped they won't give him too much trouble.

"Alice." The fallen angel flinched at the mention of her name. "Take that…thing down to the room with the seal. Make sure you place him in it, then join Sammy in the break room."

Alice seemed to visibly struggle with those orders. "B-But, I NEED his heart! He's perfect! Y-You don't need him anymore…" she began to trail off as the woman walked up to her. Alice found herself taking an involuntary step back. The woman's cold eyes seem to bore into what was left of her soul. _**"P-Please. We just want to be perfect…"**_

"Alice, you will do as I say, or-" she thrust a thumb in the ink demon's direction. "I will have him drag you back to the ink and I will leave you there! Do you want that!?" By this time, Alice had backed up against the wall and was shaking like a leaf. "If that thing waked up and wreaks havoc in this Studio, I'll make sure both of your souls are so scattered that you won't be able to pull yourself together!" The sheer rage in the woman's voice almost brought the fallen angel to tears. "Now GO!"

'Bendy' watched as Alice practically ran out the room and headed for the elevator. Her terror was so strong, he could taste it in the air. It was quite intoxicating. His attention was brought back to the woman. She walked up to him and reached out to run her fingers against the cheek of the unconscious woman in his arms.

"Ah June. It's been awhile…" There was no response. The woman waved towards an old musty couch in the corner of the office. "Put her on the couch. I'll have a little talk with her when she wakes up."

The ink demon shuffled over to the couch and laid June down. He remembered the fear in those green eyes when she saw him standing over her kids. His smile grew wider and he hoped to see such delightful terror again.

The woman walked over to a desk on the other side of the room. She sat down and rifled through some paperwork. She was looking over some diagrams and drawings with a critical eye. After a few minutes, the woman seemed satisfied by what she saw. She put the paperwork back, stood up, and headed for the doors.

"Now come! I want to check out that little toon. I'm curious about what Sammy 'told' me about it." 'Bendy' sighed softly. He knew what the little ink blot was capable of. He felt that it was a mistake to keep him alive.

The ink demon shuffled out of the room and the woman locked the large double doors behind them just in case June woke up before they got back. They took the elevator down instead of one of his portals. She was very weary of the darkness and didn't trust him at all. Even with the collar around his neck and under her control, she was very hostile towards him. He was fine with that. The first chance he got, he was going to introduce her to the darkness of the Studio.

.

 **OoOoOoOoO**

.

Bendy moaned and held his aching head. He blinked a few times to clear his blurred vision. The last thing he remembered was playing a game with Beth and Sarah then…nothing. _'What happened?'_ he thought as he looked around the room. His whole body began to shake when he recognized the yellowing wood floors, dusty furniture, and ink dripping in the corners.

 _'H-How did I get here?'_ he began to panic as he looked around wildly. He didn't know how he got here or if he was alone. Bendy could feel the ink running down the side of his face and running into his eye. He reached up and tried to wipe it away, but the ink wouldn't stop dripping. The toon knew it would stop if he calmed down, but he was too scared to do that. Couple that with the fact that he couldn't feel Henry through their bond and the poor toon's thoughts were a jumbled mess. Was Henry here in the Studio? Was he hurt or… He didn't want to finish that thought.

Bendy froze when he heard a familiar growl coming from the other side of the room. There, standing among the shadows was HIM! The ink demon. He was always out to hurt or take Henry from him. Bendy could feel the ink in his body starting to boil and shift with his growing anger.

He crouched low and growled at the figure standing across from him. The ink demon just cocked his head to the side and his smile grew wider. He was taunting him! Bendy could feel the ink rising on his back and claws tearing through his white gloves. Whatever was going on around here, it was his fault! The toon wanted to tear that smirk off his face.

Bendy crouched low and got ready to pounce when searing pain shot through his body. He yelled out as electricity crawled up and down his form. The toon collapsed to the floor and shook violently. He blinked a few times, looked down, and noticed glowing lines on the floor under his body. He hadn't seen them before. Bendy whined as he tried to push himself up but couldn't. Something was draining his strength.

"Well, would you look at that." Bendy startled and tried to find the source of the voice. He could barely turn his head. "I didn't think I would need such a strong seal for something like you." Someone walked into his field of vision. It was a woman. Bendy was sure he didn't know who she was, but something about her features, about her eyes seemed so familiar.

"Who-" Bendy winced as his voice sounded watery and hollow at the same time. "Who are you?"

"Oh don't you worry your pretty little head about that dear." The toon growled at the overly sweet sound of her voice. Those grey eyes, so cold, and so familiar.

"Let me ask you something. Why are you hanging around with someone like Henry Ross, hmm?" Bendy's visible eye grew wide. She knew Henry? She chuckled at his reaction. "Oh yeah, I know Henry. He and I used to be very…close." The smile she graced him with put the toon on edge.

"So, why are you follow him anyway?"

Bendy frowned. He was finding it harder to speak. He had to clear his nonexistent throat a few times to get a few words out. **"H-He's m'friend. Family…"** The woman laughed at him. It was cruel and mocking. It made him angry.

"Your 'friend'? You think you're apart of his family?" He could hardly lift his head off the floor, but the toon managed to nod.

The ink demon stayed in the corner and listened to their conversation. 'Bendy' had always wondered why the little ink blot went out of his way to protect that old animator. It had never crossed his mind that the little toon thought of the man as family, and vise versa. It was absurd and yet, it explained a lot. Was it that connection that gave them the strength to escape this place? Could it really be that simple? The ink demon shook his head. It's not like it really matters now.

The woman walked up to the toon and knelt down close to him. "Oh honey, you'll never be apart of his…family. They're human and you're not." She sounded so condescending. "Your family is here in this studio. Creatures of ink like yourself." Bendy glowered at her with his visible eye. **"Hen..ry m'friend, m'family! Not…Studio!"** She laughed at him and looked at him with false pity.

"You poor thing. They don't care about you. At most, you are a novelty or a pet. Something new and shiny for them to play with before they get bored and throw you away." Bendy growled and wanted to grab the woman, but he couldn't moved. **"L-Liar!"**

She shrugged and stood up. The woman walked over to and leaned against a small table that sat across the room. "Well, by the time I'm through with Henry, it won't really matter." Bendy watched as she reached under the table. She picked up a large jar full of some kind of clear fluid. The toon squinted. Something seemed to be swimming in it. His eye grew wide when he realized it was an ink slug. She ran her fingers against the glass and the slug followed her movements. Like a dog seeking its owner's touch.

"He's going to find out what it's like to loose a loved one." She said it so softly and with so much anger, it made the little toon flinch. He wondered what she meant by that. The woman picked up the jar and held it close to her chest. She started to walk passed him but stopped. She looked down at him with those cold grey eyes.

"When this is all over, Henry will be apart of this studio, permanently. And maybe-" she smiled sweetly. It made his skin crawl. "I'll make those little girls into inky residents of this studio as well. Wouldn't you like that? Then you can truly call them 'family'."

Bendy blinked. As her words sunk in, he began to visibly shudder. Beth and Sarah was here too? They were trap in this nightmare, somewhere… This crazy lady wanted to turn them into ink creatures! He flopped around on the floor as he tried to keep the woman's retreating form in his line of sight. He wanted to grab her, pull her back, and do whatever he had to do to keep her from hurting the girls.

The seal under him kept him from lashing out. His ink was pooling under his body. Arms and legs were loosing their form and he could barely lift them. He felt so helpless. He opened his mouth full of jagged teeth and let loose a rage filled scream that echoed throughout the halls.

The ink demon followed the woman out of the room. He took one last look back at his counterpart. The toon stared back at him with an eye that glowed fiery red and a face contorted by fury and sharp teeth. A sobering thought crossed his mind. If Bendy freed himself, he'd tear them all apart.

.

 **OoOoOoOoO**

.

June came to with a start. Her heart was beating wildly as she took in her surroundings. Old, yellowish wood floors and walls. Dusty furniture and Bendy posters on the walls. Barrels sat in the corners and ink was dripping from the ceiling. There was even a strange symbol painted on the floor. She had never been here before but she heard enough horror stories from her brother to know where she was. The Studio!

She hopped off the couch and ran for the large double doors. June twisted the knobs and tugged on them. They were locked. She screamed out of frustration and kicked the door. She felt stupid for doing that but she wasn't thinking straight. She was frustrated and the fact that she didn't remember how she got there in the first place really scared her.

June jumped when the doorknob jiggled and turned. Someone was coming. Maybe she could push past them and make a run for it. June stood in front of the door and waited. It opened slowly and she was ready to make a break for it but stopped dead in her tracks.

An extremely tall creatures ducked through the doorway and stepped into the room. June gasped and backed up a few steps. It looked like a twisted form of her nephew. He looked down at her and she swore his smile grew wider. The ink demon shuffled up to her and pinned her against the couch. It was then she remembered what happened at the house. How she walked into the girls' room to find the kids unconscious on the floor and this thing standing over them. It had that same demented smile on its face.

"W-Where are my children?!" She tried to look him in where she thought his eyes might be. "Where's Bendy?!" The ink demon tilted his head to the side and just watched her. It was clear she was afraid. He could see her shaking, but she still had the nerve to ask him questions? He let loose a wheezing chuckle that made her jump. She was definitely a kin of Henry's.

"Your kids are safe, for now." The ink demon stepped to the side to give June a good look at who was speaking. The woman walked by them and headed for the desk near the back of the room. She placed a jar on the desk and turned to look at June. The ink demon had back off and left her standing in the middle of the room. The grey eyed woman crossed her arms over her chest and just stared at the other.

"Hello there Juney-" she said in a sing song voice. "It's been a long time. The years have been kind to you."

June stood there and stared at the other woman. Her eyes grew wide as she began to recognize the person. Her hair had streaks of silver in it, she was curvier, and she had a few lines around the mouth, but June could never forget those grey eyes.

"Linda?"

The woman's eyes lit up and a wide smile split her face. "Well, look at that! You do remember me!"

Linda Drew. June couldn't believe it. She hadn't seen the woman in years. Not since she dumped Henry after he left…the Studio… Oh no. Things began to fall into place in June's mind and her stomach twisted. She prayed this wasn't what she thought this was. There was only one way to find out:

"W-What are y-you doing here?" Linda gave her a knowing glance.

"C'mon June, you know why I'm here. Hell, from how pale you got just now, you know why you're here."

"No…" June shook her head. She didn't want to believe this was happening. Her eyes drifted over to the ink demon that stood in the corner then back to Linda. "Joey."

"See. I always told your brother you were a smart gal." The woman walked up to June. Linda was almost as tall as Henry and very intimidating.

"Your brother took my JoJo from me. He needs to pay for that." June winced at the anger in her voice.

"Linda wait! Just listen to me." June knew she sounded desperate, but she needed to make Linda understand…"I know you're angry, but Henry had no choice. Joey lost his mind! He killed everyone in the Studio…he tried to kill Henry!" Linda raised her hand, silencing her.

"Save it! I know what my brother did."

June was confused. "What?"

"Oh Juney, you see, unlike your brother, my JoJo told me everything." Linda sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Joey had been sending me letters for years. He had grown very sick but found a way to save himself." She waved her hand around the room. "I was horrified to read what he had done to the people who worked here, but if it saved his life, then their sacrifice wasn't in vain."

.

 **-Meanwhile-**

.

The children came to about an hour ago. Sammy watched as they huddled against one another out of fear. He couldn't blame them. They were in a strange place surrounded by monsters. If he were in their shoes, he'd be scared too. He would have sworn they were all going to hell for this if they weren't already there.

At least they were in one of the nicer break rooms. It was a little cleaner than the others with a few chairs around a wooden table, a small sofa against the wall, and a piano sitting in the corner. There was no ink on the floor or walls and they didn't have to worry about the Butcher Gang breaking in. They rarely spawned on this level. Still that brought very little comfort to two little girls that got dragged into an adult game of revenge.

"Beth? Where's mommy? Why isn't she here?" The smaller of the two began to cry and rub tears from her eyes. The one called Beth, wrapped her arms around her sister, and hugged her while she looked around the room. Sammy could tell she was trying to be strong for her little sister even as tears stained her cheeks.

"I-I don't know, but I know she'll come for us." Alice heard this and chuckled softly.

"Don't worry. Your mommy is just talking with our 'boss'. Once the adults finish, she'll come to see you."

The youngest one looked up at Alice with a shocked expression on her face. "You're the lady from the park!" Alice seemed delighted by that. "That's right! I'm Alice Angel. And since I AM an angel, you can trust me!" Both girls didn't look convinced by the fallen angel's words nor could they help but stare at the ruined side of her face.

"Now in the meantime, Sammy and I will be looking after you…so don't give us any trouble!" That last part was growled out and caused the children to whimper. He had no choice but to let Alice do the talking since he couldn't, but he wished she wouldn't scare them like that.

After another hour went by, the girls began to whisper to one another. Well, they thought they were whispering. It was loud enough that Sammy and Alice could still hear them.

"Beth?"

"Yeah?"

"…I'm hungry."

"Yeah, me too."

Hungry? Oh yeah. He remembered their mother trying to call them down for dinner. They didn't get the chance to have their meal before they got dragged to the Studio. Sammy heard Alice scoff. "Well, if you two are so hungry, I suppose I could open a can of bacon soup for you." Sammy hissed at her, causing all three to look at him wide eyed. There was no way in the world he was giving these kids old cans of bacon soup. It would probably kill them.

Sammy walked to the back of the room where a storage box sat in the corner. Their 'Master' spent a lot of time here and she often brought real food whenever she went out. She liked to store it in this room because it was relatively clean. He reached down and opened the box. There wasn't much inside save for a couple of apples and a box of crackers. Well, it was better than nothing and maybe it would calm the kids down.

He grabbed the apples and crackers then closed the box. Sammy walked up to the girls who were sitting on the sofa. He knelt down so he wasn't looming over them. Sammy held out his large hands. Both girls looked down at the food being offered then back up at him. They looked very unsure. He dared not open his mouth less he scare them even more. Instead, he nodded his head, letting them know it was alright to take it.

It was the older sister that reached out and tentatively took the food from him. She checked the apples over before handing one to her sister. The younger one waited for her sister to take a bite to make sure it was okay. After seeing the smile on her sister's face she began to eat her own.

"Mmm, this apple is so sweet! Thank you Mr. Sammy!" The older sister looked up at him and smiled shyly. The younger sister agreed and her voice shook as she thanked him too. He was a little surprised by their gratitude.

Sammy stood up and walked over to the other side of the room. He caught Alice staring at him funny but he chose to ignore it.

Mr. Sammy. He couldn't remember the last time someone called him that with that much respect. He hung his head out of guilt. These children didn't deserve this.

.

 **-Back at the office-**

.

June looked absolutely shocked. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Linda couldn't have been alright with her brother killing people just to save his own hide. "You can't possibly think that this was okay!? You can't tell me that the workers went to their deaths willingly!"

"Are you sure about that?" June was taken aback. "They could have left. They could have abandon Joey like your brother did. But they didn't. They stayed. They stayed because they were loyal and believed in my brother's dream!"

June was shaking her head. Linda was crazy. "Those people had families too. Loved ones that searched for them! Nothing could justify what Joey did!"

"It's true. JoJo may have went too far, but maybe if Henry had stayed, he could have… lessened the damage."

"Don't you dare place the blame on Henry!" That was it! June was furious. How dare this woman try to make Joey her brother's responsibility. "Joey would have done whatever he wanted. It didn't matter if Henry was there or not!"

"You don't know that!" Linda snarled.

"And neither do you! You left my brother because of his fallout with Joey! You have no idea what happened." June showed no fear in the face of the other woman's anger.

"Henry was my JoJo's best friend! He should have stuck by him, no matter what!" by this point, Linda was yelling in June's face. "I could never be with him after he walked away from Joey! He had no loyalty."

June just stared at her in disbelief. "Loyalty? Loyalty! Where was that loyalty when Joey took credit for his hard work? My brother had every right to leave!"

"Not only did Henry abandon him, but in the end, he killed him!" The woman's body was practically shaking with rage now. "I can't let him get away with this. Henry needs to pay for taking my brother away from me!"

June gritted her teeth. "Hurting my brother won't bring yours back…"

"No, but it'll make me feel better." June opened her mouth but couldn't find the words. Linda huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "C'mon June, if someone killed Henry, you'd want justice too."

June stared down at her feet. Her brow was knitted in confusion. Yes, if something happened to her brother, she'd want someone to pay for it, but could she go this far? June shook her head slowly before looking up at Linda. "I would never do something like this! Henry would never want this from me."

Linda scoffed and leaned in closer to June. "That's because you're weak!" she hissed. "It's obvious you don't love your brother as much as I loved mine!"

In the corner of the room, 'Bendy' watched the entire exchange go down. Both women arguing over who was in the right. The looks of anger that played across both faces. The 'Master's' last statement stunned the other woman into silence. The 'Master' was so smug, she missed the subtle shake of June's hand. She didn't notice the way it curled into a tight fist. She was standing too close when June cocked her arm back and punched the woman in the face. The ink demon watched it all go down with barely concealed glee.

Linda staggered back while covering her face with her hands. June stood there in complete shock, like she couldn't believe she just punched someone in the face. A quick glance at the demon standing in the corner and she was sprinting for the double doors. She slammed into them, they flew open, and she took off down the hall.

'Bendy' had to give the woman credit. She did something he wanted to do for a long time. A moan from across the room got his attention. The 'Master' seemed to have a bruise forming on her cheek. Pity, the ink demon was hoping for a busted nose or something. It took the woman awhile to realize her hostage had fled the room. The she looked around the room wildly until her eyes landed on him.

"Don't just stand there, you fool! Bring her back here! NOW!" 'Bendy' bowed his head and waved his gloved hand at the wall. Ink pooled and formed a portal. He took one last look at the crazed woman and stepped through.

* * *

June ran through the halls aimlessly. She had no idea where she was or where the kids were. This place was bigger than she thought and she knew she was lost. She hated the feeling of being lost. The panic was already rising in her chest. She huddled by some barrels when a strange creature came into view. It's head looked like it was swinging from a rope tied to a pole sticking out of its back. Whatever it was, she knew she didn't want it to catch her.

June waited for it to leave, then stood up, and looked around. She knew she had to find her girls, but didn't know where to start. She knew for sure that Henry wasn't here. She had no idea if Bendy was with the girls or in another room. June's thoughts were too jumbled and full of questions for her to calm down or even think straight. She'll never get them out of here like this!

She didn't noticed the ink crawling up the wall behind her. How it formed a doorway of shimmering ink or how the ink demon emerged from it. A slight brush against her back made her jump. She whirled about and screamed when she found the creature looming over her. June tried to back away, but he reached out with his long arm and grabbed her face with his large gloved hand.

'Bendy' watched as those green eyes grew wide and she tried to claw at his hand. Her screams were muffled and he could feel her taking short breaths to stave off suffocation. June wasn't strong enough to pry his large fingers from her face so she tried pounding on his arm with her tiny fists. She was shorter than Henry, her head barely came up to his chest and yet she tried to put up a good fight.

He watched as her swings grew awkward and her eyes began to tear up. He held her that way just long enough for all the fight to drain out of her and her body began to sag. Her eyes rolled and closed slowly. That was it, she was done. He let go and June almost fell to the floor, but he wrapped his arms around her and held her up. He checked to make sure she was still breathing before placing one arm around her back, the other behind her knees, and lifted her off the floor effortlessly. He shuffled back to the office.

She had spunk, he'd give her that. Too bad that'll be snuffed out tonight.

.

 **A Few Hours Later-**

 **.**

A big rig coasted to a stop across the street from an aging cartoon studio that had seen better days. There was no one out about around this time of night and it was very quiet. The doors to the big rig flew open.

As soon as Henry jumped out of the passenger's seat, he was hit by a wave of emotions that he knew wasn't his. It made him sway on his feet. There was so much fury! He had never felt this from his friend before.

"Hey Henry, are you okay?" Jason had walked around the truck to stand next to him.

"It's Bendy. He's really angry. It caught me by surprise. Just…give me a minute." Henry closed his eyes and concentrated. It was hard to cut through such strong emotions but he needed to. As soon as the toon realized Henry was trying to reach him, the bond was flooded with overwhelming relief. The quick change in emotion nearly gave Henry whiplash.

It was then that Henry could feel how much pain his friend was in. There was fear buried just below the surface of all that relief. The mix of all those emotions scared Henry. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew he needed to hurry.

"Hey bro, catch!" Henry turned just in time to see something flying in his direction. He caught it and it turned out to be a bat. It was a wooden baseball bat with a few huge railroad spikes sticking out of the end.

Jason slammed the back door to the rig and walked up to Henry with a bat slung over his shoulder. It was made of wood as well, but it had barbed wire wrapped around the end. Henry raised an eyebrow at this and Jason just shrugged.

"I drive cross country alone. I always carry something to protect myself." He gave Henry a mischievous grin and chuckled. Henry was glad Jason came along.

Both men turned toward the ominous building.

"You ready bro?"

"Yeah. Let's get our family back!"

As they headed to the front door, Henry couldn't ignore the pentagram throbbing in his right hand, or the feeling of fear he was getting from Bendy. Whatever they needed to face, it all ends tonight.


	2. Into The Depths We Go

**A/N:** This story is separate from my Slice of Life stories. This story picks up right where "All These Shadows Keep Closing In..." left off. If you haven't read that one yet, please do. It explains a lot. It's based on the ink! Henry stories and artwork done by shinyzango and themarginalartist on tumblr.

 **Disclaimer:** Bendy and the Ink Machine is owned by TheMeatly. I only own my Ocs.

 **.**

 **We Will Face The Darkness, Together.**

 **Part 2**

 **.**

The front door to the Studio creaked open slowly. Henry glanced around before looking down at the floor. The color of the wood was different from the rest. It looked newer. He confirmed his suspicions when he tapped it with the end of his bat. "Someone had this fixed…"

Jason stood behind Henry and waited for him to step over the threshold. "Well, at least that means we're dealing with someone flesh and blood."

"Not sure if that's a good thing or not." They walked through the doorway. It was quiet with the occasional groan from the wood floors. So far nothing tried to jump out at them, though that didn't make Henry feel any better. He remember the first time he was lulled into a false sense of security before everything went to hell. He wasn't making that mistake again.

They both had their bats at the ready just in case something happened when they came across one of Bendy's cutouts.

Jason tapped it with the end of his bat. "Man, this thing is creepy." Something seemed off about the eyes and smile. It was empty and lifeless. "I'm glad our Bendy isn't like this."

Henry couldn't agree more. "C'mon, there's a staircase at the back. I get the feeling we gotta head down."

"Really?" Jason followed Henry passed a few closed doors and a room with a group of chairs, a projector, and a large screen on the wall. "This place doesn't look so big."

Henry chuckled at that. "It's bigger than you think. Joey built down instead of up. There's a whole complex underground. "

"Well, at least no one knows we're here yet. Maybe we can catch them by surprise?" They passed another Bendy cutout that was leaning against the wall. Henry sighed and shook his head.

"Don't count on it. They already know we're here."

.

 **-Meanwhile in the Office-**

 **.**

Linda was skimming through The Illusion of Living. Joey was always curious about the occult. She wasn't surprised her wrote a book on the subject. She was surprised he managed to compile so many different theories into a single book and actually got it to work.

Linda looked up and narrowed her eyes at the ink demon standing across from her desk. She didn't understand why her brother didn't devise a way to control the damn thing like she did. Sometimes he could be too trusting….or oblivious. Maybe if he had used a little more caution, he'd still be alive. Well, she won't make that mistake.

A soft hiss interrupted her thoughts. 'Bendy' was staring up. It was almost like he could see through the ceiling. Linda got up from her desk and walked over to him.

"He's here, isn't he?" 'Bendy' looked down at her and nodded. Linda's smile grew wide enough to rival the demon standing in front of her. Her plan was coming together nicely. Her smile slipped a bit when a thought crossed her mind.

"Is he alone?" 'Bendy' slowly shook his head, then pointed to June on the couch. Her hands were tied behind her back and her legs were tied at the ankles. She was laying on her side with a rag stuffed in her mouth to keep her quiet. June perked up when she heard that her brother and husband had arrived.

"This isn't a problem. Take Sammy and go after them." Linda turned and glared at June. "I don't care what you do with the other one. Kill him if you want-" At hearing this, June began to scream even though it was muffled by the rag and thrash about on the couch. "Just bring Henry here."

The ink demon' smile grew a little wider and he bowed his head. He was curious to see if this woman's plan would actually work. He formed an ink portal against the wall and stepped through.

.

 **-The Break Room-**

 **.**

Soft music could be heard drifting down the empty halls. Earlier, the little girls began to get distressed. They hadn't seen their mother and they were getting scared again. Alice's attempts to stop them from crying didn't work. She just lost her patience with them and ended up yelling which made things worse.

Sammy needed to do something, he just wasn't sure what. He spied the piano in the corner. He hadn't tried to play any of his beloved instruments since the 'Master' brought him back. He looked down at his large hands with sharp claws tipping each finger. He doubt he could play the banjo with hands like these, but maybe…

Sammy looked towards the piano. He wasn't sure if this would work, but it might be enough of a distraction to quiet the little ones down. So, he shuffled over to the piano and hunched over it. He didn't even bother pulling out the bench. He was a tad too big for it now anyway. His large hands hovered over the keys as he searched his memory for something to play.

Turns out, having extra long fingers really helped in reaching the keys even if his claws caused him to slip and miss a key or two. He started out slow as he tried to remember the melody but soon his clawed fingers were gliding over the ivory.

Beth and Sarah looked over to where the music was coming from. It was so odd to see a creature like Mr. Sammy hunched over a piano and playing something that sounded really nice. After a few minutes, curiosity got the better of Beth and she slid off the couch. Sarah grabbed her arm and tried to pull her back, but Beth said that she wouldn't get too close. Not wanting to be left alone on the couch, Sarah held onto her big sister's arm and went with her.

Sammy turned his head slightly and watched as the children came closer. They were very cautious, but curiosity had their attention. He could see the way their eyes would drift down to watch his fingers move over the keys. Probably wondering how he was able to play. It was quite amusing.

The girls stood there for a few minutes and listened to the soft music until Sammy stopped. They watched as he reached under the piano and pulled out the wooden bench. He tapped it with the tips of his claws and waited to see what they might do.

"I-I think he wants us to sit there." Beth whispered.

"I dunno..." Sarah was very nervous.

"I don't think he wants to hurt us…" Sammy shook his head and tap the bench again.

Both girls looked at each other, then looked back at him. He looked pretty scary but he didn't act that way. Beth took Sarah by the hand and lead her to the bench. It was a little high so the girls had to climb on.

They waited to see what Mr. Sammy would do, both ready to run if he tried to grab them. Instead, he reached down and tapped a key on Beth's left. He stopped, pointed to the girl, and tapped the key again. There was a certain rhythm he wanted her to repeat. After a moment, she understood, and tried to copy him. When Sammy was satisfied, he did the same for Sarah. She caught on quickly after watching her sister. He waited a few seconds for the girls to repeat the rhythm. He reached down on either side of them and started to play.

Sammy sighed softly. The girls were actually smiling. They giggled and remarked on how they were playing the piano and they couldn't wait to show their mom and dad. He was just glad they weren't crying anymore.

As the music drifted throughout the room, none of them noticed the envious looks Alice was giving them. She couldn't believe it. Sammy was a monster! They should have been scared of him and yet, they sat there, all smiles and giggles, playing a dumb piano with him. She didn't look nearly as bad as him. She was an angel. They should trust her over him…but they didn't. It didn't make sense! And so, she stood there scowling at them.

This is the scene the ink demon stumbled into when he entered the room. Alice spotted him first and ran to the other side of the room. Her movement caught Sammy's attention and his fingers froze over the keys. He stood up and hissed as the ink demon walked towards them.

Beth and Sarah turned around to see what was going on and was shocked to find another Bendy standing a few feet behind them. This Bendy was scarier than their cousin. He was very tall and his eyes were covered with black stuff. They whimpered as he took another step towards them.

Their eyes drifted downward because of the strange way he moved. Their fear momentarily gave way to curiosity again when they spotted his twisted foot. "Wow, that must hurt." Beth thought she said that soft enough that he didn't hear her. But he did. 'Bendy' hissed harshly to get them to stop staring. Their eyes grew wide as they looked up at him.

Sammy tapped the bench to get their attention. He pointed at the sofa and the girls wasted no time in running towards it. The children huddled together and watched the demon with fearful eyes.

As much as 'Bendy' enjoyed their fear, he wasn't there for that. He turned toward Sammy and hissed softly then pointed towards the door. Sammy nodded slowly and followed the ink demon out of the room. He heard Alice complain about being left to watch the brats but there was nothing he could do about it.

Sammy closed the door behind him and the kids were left with a very moody angel. Neither one said a word as they watched her pace the room and talk to herself. They even heard two different voiced.

Sarah hugged her sister and sobbed softly. "Beth, I wish mommy was here."

"Me too." Beth eyes the horned angel. Something about her didn't feel right.

.

 **OoOoOoOoO**

 **.**

Henry and Jason made their way down several flights of steps before ending up near the music department. This place held some bitter memories for him. He just wanted to find the next stairwell as quickly as possible.

As they made their was down the dimly lit hallways, they ran into a group of searchers. They rose up from the ink puddles around them and began dragging their half formed bodies towards the two men.

Henry gripped his bat tighter and started swinging. Jason hesitated for a moment before joining him. Even though he knew what to expect, it still came as a shock that such creatures existed. Jason swung at one of the searcher's head and winced as his bat seemed to sink into it before he sent the head flying against the wall. He looked over at Henry who was practically mowing down the creatures in front of him without slowing down.

Within a few minutes, the group of searchers were reduced to ink splotches along the walls and floor. Both men stood back to back. Neither one quite ready to let down their guard. When it seemed like nothing else was going to jump out at them, they moved on.

"Unbelievable…" Jason looked down the quiet hallways cautiously.

"Heh." Henry laughed humorlessly. "Oh it'll get worse the lower we go."

They rounded a corner and passed another Bendy cutout. Henry frowned slightly. They haven't run into the ink demon himself and this worried him. He knew it was only a matter of time.

There were a few hallways that were completely flooded with ink. Henry refused to wade through the stuff if there was a way around it. Unfortunately, they had to head down a particular corridor to make it to the next stairwell. Both men had their bats at the ready and kept a close eye on the ink. The hall took on a claustrophobic air and they couldn't wait to reach the end.

Neither one noticed the way the ink rippled like something was moving towards them…

.

 **-In The Break Room-**

 **.**

Alice was getting more and more agitated. All she could hear were the kids sniveling about how they wanted their mommy or that they wanted to go home. It was getting on her nerves. A small voice in her head was telling her to stay calm. Alice was finding it harder to listen to it. Then a thought came to mind and that small voice was screaming for her not to act on it.

Alice stopped pacing and turned towards the children. She smiled sweetly as she approached them. "Y'know what? How about we go find your mommy?"

The girls grew quiet and just stared at the fallen angel. The older of the two seemed skeptical but her little sister looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yup! I'm sure my boss is finished talking to her. It should be alright for me to take you to her." The angel's voice sounded too sweet the Sarah, but she really wanted to find their mother.

The girls reluctantly agreed to go with her and Alice lead them out of the room. They walked to the left of the room and around the bend until they came to an elevator. Alice ushered the children inside, closed the gate, and pressed the button marked 14.

As the elevator descended, the girls got a pretty good look at the other floors in the Studio.

"W-What's all that black stuff?" Sarah asked.

"That's ink, my dear. It's what most of us are made of." Alice huffed. Such a silly question.

"Oh, that's the stuff cousin Bendy is made of!" Beth declared. Alice sneered behind their backs. How could they see that thing as their cousin. It made her sick.

Sarah watched as they passed one floor after another. Each one seemed darker and more ink covered than the one before it. She could even see things moving around in the distance. She couldn't tell what they were, but she knew she didn't want to be anywhere near them.

The elevator finally came to a stop and the barred gate slid open. Both girls stood there, a little confused. Was this were their mother was? They couldn't see the floor past the raised platform they were standing on because it was covered in ink.

Beth and Sarah felt a harsh shove at their backs and they stumbled out of the elevator. Alice quickly closed the gate behind them.

"Hey!" Beth shouted. "I thought you said you'd take us to mommy!"

Alice shrugged and waved her hand dismissively. "She's around here, somewhere. You just have to find her." She pressed the button and the elevator started to ascend. "Good luck." The fallen angel said in a sing-song voice.

The girls grabbed the gate, shook it, and yelled for Alice to come back. The only answer they received was cruel laughter. Beth kept pressing the button but the elevator didn't come back. Sarah began to cry and Beth tried to tell her that it would be okay, but even she didn't believe that. That bad angel tricked them and left them alone in this strange place. It was enough to bring tears to her own eyes.

Beth stopped pressing the button when it looked like the elevator wasn't coming back. She hugged her sister and took in their surroundings. There was ink all over the place! It was dripping from the ceiling and down the walls. There was openings to halls on either side of the room that looked kind of dark. Beth didn't want to go over there. Soon she spotted some stairs across from them. They seemed to lead upward. Maybe they could find their mom if they went that way.

"C'mon Sarah. We're getting out of here!"

"How?" Sarah wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and looked a little confused. Beth pointed towards the stairs and said they could get out that way. They just had to walk through the ink to get there. Sarah wanted to wait for the elevator to come back, but Beth didn't think the angel was coming back for them. Besides, they needed to find their mom.

Sarah reluctantly agreed and she took her sister's hand. They stepped off the platform and the ink was deeper than they thought. It came up to their stomachs and was very cold. They waded through the pool slowly. The stuff was thicker than water and it slowed them down. Finally they made it to the bottom of the stairs. They pulled themselves out of the pool and stood there for a moment to catch their breath. Their wet clothes weighed them down a little, but that didn't stop them from climbing the steps.

Neither girl knew where they were going, but it had to be better than standing around and doing nothing. Maybe if they were lucky, they'd run into Mr. Sammy. Maybe he could help them.

Unfortunately, it seemed like luck wasn't on their side. A soft clicking noise caught their attention and they froze on the steps. Something was heading in their direction. A strange figure appeared at the top of the stairs. It had three arms, its mouth seemed to be sown shut, and the clicking sound was coming from a chittering set of teeth on top of its head. As soon as its single eye landed on them, the clicking got louder and it shuffled down the steps faster.

The girls screamed and ran back down the steps. The thing didn't look friendly and they didn't want it to catch them. They jumped into the pool of ink at the bottom and tried to run through it. The girls heard a splash behind them. They didn't bother to look back as they headed for the dimly lit hallway.

Beth and Sarah soon found out the area was set up like a maze. The only light seemed to come from some devices found in the corners or sitting on wooden crates. They shined lights and images on the walls, but the girls were too focused on getting away to pay attention to them.

As they rounded one corner, Beth tripped over something. If she wasn't holding Sarah's hand, she would have fell face first in the ink. When she looked back to see what it was, she screamed. It was another creature, but its head was attached to a rope that was floating next to its body. The word 'LIAR' was written on its chest.

There was clicking and splashing behind them and the girls tried to run the best they could. It was like trying to run through a swimming pool full of water with their clothes on. They found themselves growing tired.

The splashing behind them got louder. All of a sudden, Sarah screamed as she was pulled back. The monster grabbed the back of her shirt and was holding her in place. Beth grabbed her hands and pulled as her sister tried to wiggle out of the creature's grip. Its stitched up mouth pulled into a strange smile as it tugged Sarah out of her sister's grip.

"Leave my sister alone!" Beth screamed as she grabbed one of its arms. The creature was a little taller then them but it was stronger. It lifted Beth off her feet and was still able to hold Sarah even if she was putting up quite a struggle. It shook the girls and it almost sounded like it was laughing.

The creature seemed to find it all very amusing until a loud screech could be heard from the other end of the hall. It gasped and let go of the kids. Everyone was blinded by a bright light that came from the other end of the hallway. There was a lot of splashing as something headed towards them.

Beth grabbed Sarah's hand and pulled her out of the way just as the creature was grabbed by something even bigger. Whatever it was, the bright light was coming from it which made it hard to see what was going on. All they could hear was screeching and the furious clattering of teeth. Beth and Sarah wanted to run, but they were too tired. All they could do was back up slowly while holding one anther.

The chittering stopped when the larger creature slammed the smaller one against the wall and twisted its head around in the wrong direction. The taller one dropped the limp body in the ink before shining its light on the girls. The girls screamed and tried to make a break for it, but the taller creature cut them off. Its legs were longer than theirs and seemed to have no problem moving through the ink.

Sarah sobbed as Beth pulled her back. There was nowhere to run. She squinted up at the creature and blinked tears from her eyes. All she wanted to do was find their mom and Bendy and go home! Why won't these monsters let them go home… What did they do to them?

Beth tried her best to comfort Sarah but she was at her limit. "S-Stay away f-from us!" she yelled as she tried to be brave for the both of them. She could feel her own eyes start to water as they continued to back up. The ink was cold, she was tired, and she just wanted to find her family and leave. Why won't all these monsters just leave them alone!

Both girls blinked when the light that was shining on them grew dim enough for them to see again. It walked towards them. They whimpered and shook as the creature stopped a few feet away. It had some kind of machine on its head, or... maybe that was its head? It had something big and round sticking out of its shoulder and wires sticking out of its…head. They seemed to be attached to its back and other arm. Why was everything in this place so scary looking?

The creature did something that surprised both girls. It knelt down in the ink to their level and held up its large hands. Even like that, he was still taller than them. The girls backed up. Was it trying to trick them?

" **Take it easy**." A voice crackled from something in the creature's chest. It was so sudden, it made both girls jump. " **Oh geez, I'm sorry. I didn't mean ta scare ya.** " It reached up and seemed to scratch at the back of its…head? " **Hey, it's okay. I ain't gonna hurtcha.** "

The kids looked less than convinced as they took another step back. It put its hands down. One arm rested on his knee while the other disappeared in the ink. " **I promise, I won't hurt ya…just don't try ta run again, alright?** "

The sisters looked at one another then back to the creature. It wasn't trying to attack them so they reluctantly agreed and stopped moving. It tilted his head and a sigh crackled from his chest. Sarah couldn't help but stare at it and wonder why its voice came from there.

" **It's kinda scary down here, huh?** " Both girls nodded. " **M'name's Norman by the way.** "

"Umm, my name's Beth and this is my sister, Sarah." Sarah waved to him shyly.

" **Heh, nice ta meetcha both**." He waved back to Sarah, she smiled nervously, and hid behind her sister. " **So, what are two little ladies like yourselves doing down here anyway?** "

"That-that mean lady tricked us. She left us down here!" Beth shouted.

Norman snorted and wondered which 'mean lady' they were talking about. He knew two that fit that bill.

"And she said she was an angel!" Beth continued. "Angels don't act like that." She grumbled under her breath.

" **Alice.** " He should have known. That poor girl had a few screws loose.

Now that he was able to get a good look at them, the little girls seemed to be in bad shape. The ink came up to their stomachs, they were shivering, and looked very tired.

" **Tell ya what. How 'bout we get out of here? There's a room close by that's dry. I might be able ta find somethin' ya can use ta get some of that ink off.** " He held out his hand. " **Whadaya say?** "

The girls knew they were tired and cold. They really wanted to get out of all this ink too. His offer was too tempting to pass up even if they didn't trust him completely. After a moment of thought, they both agreed to go with him.

Norman waved and asked them to come a little closer. They approached him cautiously. He couldn't blame them. He waited patiently as they got closer. Norman wrapped his arms around both girls and lifted them out of the ink. They tensed in his arms and he reassured them that everything would be alright. He stood up straight and started to trudge out of the maze like hallways. This was easier and frankly faster than watching them try to walk through the stuff.

Sarah lightly ran her fingers across the device that was actually his head. She was quite intrigued by the clicks, whirls, and small moving parts that she could see. She wondered what is was and how it worked. "Mr. Norman? What is this?"

It took him a second to get what she meant. He chuckled softly. " **It's called a Projector.** " When he received a confused 'huh?' from Sarah, he explained. " **Ever been ta the movies?** " Both girls said yes so he continued. " **Well, this is what they use ta show those movies. It's hidden in a back room where it can't be seen.** "

"Why?" Beth asked.

Norman took a moment to word his answer in a way the children would understand. " **Well, seeing a movie is suppose ta feel like magic! People who run the protectors don't wanna to ruin that feeling so they keep it in the back room.** " Norman chuckled. " **All you should see is the light shining on the big screen and the moving images in front of you.** "

"Wow…" both girls were taken aback by his words. He was right about movies feeling magical. Sarah knew how happy she felt after leaving the theater. Imagine a job where you get to do that for a lot of people every day! "I wanna work in a movie theater when I get older!" Sarah declared. "I want to run one of these!"

Norman laughed softly. " **So, you wanna be a Projectionist? That's what they call a person that runs a projector.** "

Sarah giggles and said "Yes!"

If he could smile, he would have been. That warmed something deep within himself that went cold a long time ago. " **Well, who knows. Maybe someday you will. I ran a projector for years before I came ta work here.** " He heard a small gasp from both girls. " **I used ta show Bendy cartoons for the crew when they were finished working on them! See.** " He tilted his head towards a wall they were passing. Now that they weren't running for their lives, Beth and Sarah took notice of the small projectors sitting on some crates. They could see an animated version of Bendy walking through a graveyard.

"Hey Beth! It's cousin Bendy!" Norman tilted his head slightly. Holding them this close, it was hard to see their face. He was a little perplexed by Sarah's statement.

" **Cousin Bendy?** "

"Yeah." Sarah spoke softly. "He lives with Uncle Henry so that makes him our cousin."

This caused Norman to stop walking. He was almost afraid to ask but he really needed to know. " **Henry? As in Henry Ross?** "

"Yeah." His reaction made Beth a little nervous. Norman tensed up and his arms tightened around them. He sighed and started walking again. He knew Linda wanted to get revenge on Henry, but he didn't think she'd get children involved. The woman was just as crazy as her brother. Crazy and very smart. When she brought him back, she realized very quickly that he was practically deaf. She actually took a microphone from the music department and attached it to some exposed wires on his projector. He was finally able to hear again after thirty years. The first thing she did was bombard him with a bunch of question about what happened in the Studio. When she realized he didn't know much, she ordered him and Sammy to fix the elevator. After that he took to hiding down here so she couldn't order him to do anything else.

Norman walked out of the maze and made a sharp turn to the left. He squeezed past a few pipes and set the girls down near a set of stairs. They lead down to a relatively dry break room. He told them to take a seat near a small round table while he went to a storage closet. He managed to find a few old sheets and handed them to the girls. Norman knelt down and helped each girl dry off. They couldn't get all the ink off their clothes but they were somewhat dry.

Afterwards, the kids sat at the table. They looked exhausted so he let them rest. Besides, he needed to figure out what to do with them. He wasn't sure what was going to happen to them after Linda exacted her revenge, but he knew it wouldn't be good.


	3. Who's the real monster here

**A/N:** This story is separate from my Slice of Life stories. This story picks up right where "All These Shadows Keep Closing In..." left off. If you haven't read that one yet, please do. It explains a lot. It's based on the ink! Henry stories and artwork done by shinyzango and themarginalartist on tumblr.

 **Disclaimer:** Bendy and the Ink Machine is owned by TheMeatly. I only own my Ocs.

 **.**

 **We Will Face The Darkness, Together.**

 **Part 3**

 **.**

Everything happened so fast. The only warning Henry got was intense throbbing from the pentagram in his right hand. Ink began crawling up the walls just as the demon emerged from a portal ahead of them. Jason noticed the way Henry clutched his chest and began to breathe heavily. When he asked if he was alright, Henry said he'd be fine and to keep an eye on the demon.

Jason stood next to him with his bat raised, ready to fight. Henry wasn't going to run, not this time. He'd face this monster head on! His family lives was at stake. His thoughts were interrupted by a scream.

Jason felt something latch onto his foot and before he could react, was yanked off his feet. He fell forward but managed to hold onto his bat. He tried to shake his foot free but the grip tightened and the next thing he knew, he was getting dragged down the hall and away from Henry!

Henry turned and saw Jason getting pulled down the hall. He growled and turned back to face the demon. Henry stepped back when he found the ink demon standing nearly a foot away from him. He was so preoccupied by what happened to Jason, he didn't hear the demon move!

The ink demon lunged for him but he swung the bat, hitting him in his side. 'Bendy' staggered as he grabbed his side and backed up. He hissed at Henry. The man took another swing at the demon. It couldn't back up fast enough as Henry nailed it on the side of its head.

The ink demon's head snapped to the side. The nails in Henry's bat dug into his cheek leaving part of his smile torn and ink flowing from the wound. Henry could tell the demon was dazed and pressed his attack. He hit the back of 'Bendy's' knees causing him to collapse to the floor, then swung at his back. The ink demon was on all fours, it's body shaking as Henry continued to strike his back and sides.

Henry knew by this point he was taking his frustration out on the creature, but he didn't care. He remembered all those times it chased him down those inky hallways and how he had to hide in those little wooden stalls to keep from getting caught. He didn't forget all those times the demon came close to killing him and Bendy. How battered and bruised they both were after every fight with him or how devastated Bendy was whenever he lost control because of something the demon did. Henry was only concerned about getting them both out alive back then. But now, he needed to fight back! He needed to get his family back and he wasn't going to run from this demon, not anymore!

* * *

Jason didn't know what happened. First he was standing next to Henry, ready to take on the ink demon and the next thing he knew, he was getting dragged down the hallway! He could barely see, thanks to the ink splashing in his face. By the time he was let go, he was left coughing and trying to wipe the ink from his eyes.

Jason managed to get to his feet but he found himself alone in a dark corner of the hallway. He wasn't sure how far he got pulled away from Henry but he had to get back to him. Jason didn't want him to face that demon alone.

A splashing sound close by had him gripping his bat tighter. Soon the hall filled with low moans and more splashing. Something was moving towards him but it was too dark to see. He could see vague shapes moving in the dim light. That didn't stop him from taking a swing at whatever was out there.

He was being surrounded by searchers, dozens of them! Jason himself backing up more and more. Every time he took down one searcher, another one would take its place. When one would reach for him, he'd try to kick it away. Still, it didn't stop the monsters from grabbing onto his legs and holding him in place. Jason started to panic as his swings grew wilder. The last thing he wanted was to get dragged down to the floor and torn apart by these things. His family needed him!

It all proved to be a distraction. Jason didn't notice the tall figure moving up behind him until it was too late. Long arms wrapped around his neck and the back of his head, putting him in a strong choke hold. The searchers held his legs while something big cut off his air supply. Jason dropped his bat as he tried to pry the strong arms from around his neck. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get a good hold of the person choking him. Their skin was too slippery and ink coated his hands.

Jason gasped for air and tried to blink away the shadows eating at the edge of his vision. He could feel his limbs growing heavy and limp as he couldn't fight anymore. His last agonizing thought was that...he may never get to see his family again.

A soft hiss could be heard as Sammy loosened his hold on the man and let his body fall to the floor. He took a moment to make sure Henry didn't follow before he tossed the unconscious body over his shoulder. He took great care not to kill the man. The last thing Sammy needed was to add another soul to this cursed place.

Sammy dismissed the searchers and picked up Jason's bat. He carried the man down the hall and towards the stairwell. Time to put him someplace where he won't cause trouble, then get back to the break room. He didn't like the thought of leaving the angel alone with the children for too long.

* * *

Henry lost count of how many times he swung the bat, but he stopped when his arms grew tired and he was left breathing heavy. The bat was completely coat and stained black. The ink demon was laying on the floor, body half submerged in ink. It wasn't moving. He watch as 'Bendy's' body dissolved and he was gone.

It took a minute for Henry to realize what he had done. He did it! He beat the demon. He didn't run away! He stood his ground in the face of something that gave him nightmares long after they escaped the Studio and he won! A feeling of pure elation filled his very being. He did it, he really did it! Be beat the demon back!

That moment of triumph was short lived when he realized something. "Shit! Jason!" He turned towards the hallway where he was dragged away. There was no sign of him. Not a single sound came from that direction. Henry took off running down the hall as a feeling of dread made his blood run cold. He prayed that his brother-in-law was alright.

Henry made it halfway down the flooded hallway when a large gloved hand shot out from floor and grabbed his right hand. He was startled and nearly lost his balance as he was yanked back. Henry growled as a familiar smiling face emerged from the ink. He watched as the mangled side of the demon's face began to mend itself.

Henry tried to pull his hand free, but the ink demon held on tight. He raised the bat in his left hand, ready to slam it down on the ink demon's smiling face, but something didn't feel right. The pentagram in his right hand pulsated and sent a tremor up his arm. Henry began to panic when he saw the veins in his fore arm darken and slowly creep up past his elbow.

'Bendy' tightened his grip on Henry's hand as he slowly pulled himself out of the ink. His sinister grin grew wider as he watched the man try to pull away. It was too late though. There was a reason why the creatures of the Studio feared the demon of ink. He could take control of most of the ink in the Studio, including what ran through the man's veins.

Henry could hear his heart thudding in his ears. He tried to raise his other arm to swing the bat, but he couldn't! His arms felt like lead and he dropped it. Henry could feel the ink as it sluggishly moved through him. This caused his heart to beat harder and his breathing to grow heavier.

By the time Henry realized what 'Bendy' was doing, he had collapsed to his knees. The ink demon was hunched over him as he held his arm up. Henry could barely hear the wheezing laughter from 'Bendy' as the buzzing in his ears got louder.

'Bendy' watched as the ink blackened the veins crawling up his neck and across his face. As soon as it reached his eyes, Henry gasped. The demon could see the way his eyes became unfocused. Henry's eyes glazed over before his body slumped forward. He tried to fight it, but he finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

That didn't go quite as planned. The ink demon wasn't expecting the man to fight back. Still, he was able to get things under control by pushing the ink through his veins and putting a stranglehold on his heart. The ink demon had plenty of practice when Henry was trapped in the studio the first time around. And while he could kill the man here and now, he was curious to see if Linda's plan would work. So 'Bendy' opened an ink portal, grabbed Henry by the back of his shirt, and dragged him through the darkness.

* * *

June startled when ink crawled up the walls and the lights dimmed. 'Bendy' walked into the room, dragging Henry by the back of his shirt, and dropping him on the symbol drawn on the floor. June wiggled around as she tried to get a better look at her brother. He wasn't moving and she feared the worst.

Linda walked over and checked his pulse. June breathed a sigh of relief when the woman announced he was still alive. When Linda was satisfied with his condition, she grabbed a rope and tied his hands behind his back. Linda turned to the demon. He was watching her closely.

"What happened to the other one?" 'Bendy' shrugged and June didn't miss the way he turned his head towards her. He wanted to see her reaction. She squirmed on the couch as she tried to yell at them through the rag still stuffed in her mouth. Tears began to well up in her eyes, but June blinked them back. She refused to give them that satisfaction, though she had a sneaking suspicion the demon could sense her misery anyway.

Linda walked over and patted June on the cheek. "Don't worry Juney. The real fun will start as soon as Henry wakes up!" June shuddered at the glee dancing in Linda's eyes.

.

 **-The Break Room-**

 **.**

At first glance Alice looked perfectly relaxed as she sat on the couch. However, take a closer look and you could see that was further from the truth. She sat there, massaging her temple and talking to herself.

 _" **We shouldn't have left them!** "_ a high pitched, almost child-like voice yelled.

"Look, there's nothing to worry about! They're fine." A deep, sultry voice countered.

" _ **You don't know that. What if they get hurt?** "_

"They won't get hurt. They are probably too scared to move from that spot." Alice winced at the sharp pain in the back of her mind. Apparently, Susie didn't agree.

" _ **They've been down there too long. We need to bring them back! The Studio is too dangerous for children…** "_

Alice shook her head. Susie wouldn't let up and the pain was starting to annoy her. "Fine! Fine, we'll get the kids. And you'll see, there's nothing to worry about." She got up from the couch and headed for the door. As Alice reached for the doorknob, it swung open. She gasped and took a few steps back when Sammy walked into the room.

"Oh hey Sammy!" Alice's nervous laughter got his attention. "Did everything go well?"

Sammy hissed softly and tried to walk past her, but she refused to get out of his way. It was then he noticed just how quiet the room was. He reached out and pushed Alice to the side and looked around the room. The children were nowhere to be found. Sammy slowly turned towards the fallen angel and hissed.

Alice shuffled on her feet for a moment before crossing her arms over her chest. She stared back at Sammy angrily. "What makes you think I did something to the little brats? They're probably hiding around here somewhere." She waved her hand dismissively at him. "Why don't you look for them. I'm going for a walk."

Alice started to head for the door when Sammy stepped in front of her. She backpedaled as the former prophet stalked her. She stammered and held her hands up when he had her backed into a corner.

"N-Now Sammy, hold on a m-moment-" Before she could say another word, his hand shot out and he grabbed her by her slender neck. He squeezed just enough to let her know he meant business and he pulled her closer. Alice whimpered when he opened his mouth. She was faced with rows of sharp teeth and a dark, gaping maw that opened from where his mouth would be, all the way down to his belly.

Sammy hissed and pressed his body against the fallen angel. She was close enough for his jagged teeth to brush against her skin. She raised her hands and tried to push him away, but he held her tight. Any other time, he wouldn't do something like this to her. The first time she saw him like this, she ran from him. She refused to come near him because she thought he was going to devour her. It took him awhile to convince her that he wasn't that far gone. In fact, his mind hadn't been this clear in a long time.

The former prophet knew she was lying and so he had no choice. He hated the way she shook as she weakly pushed against his open chest. Or they way her eyes teared up when she begged him not to hurt her.

"L-Look! I-I was going to get the kids when you showed up. I swear!" Sammy tilted his head slightly and just stared at her. Alice gulped audible and reached up with one hand as she tried to pry his hand from her neck. He didn't tighten his grip but he wasn't letting go either.

Alice's eye grew wide when she realized that Sammy was waiting for a better answer. She sighed and gave up the fight. "Okay, okay…I might have taken them on a little elevator ride."

Sammy grew stock still. The children were lost somewhere in the Studio? He found himself growling at her. He couldn't believe she would do something like this!

"I-I took t-them down to the 14th floor! I-I'm sure they are perfectly fine!" the pitch of her voice got a little higher as she started to panic. She didn't think he'd get so angry over this. "The area is flooded. I'm sure they're still cowering by the raised platform." She laughed nervously but flinched when Sammy screeched at her.

Sammy couldn't believe she did this! The Studio was dangerous no matter what floor they were on. The reason why they were watching the kids was to keep them safe until the 'Master' was done with Henry. Deep down, he hoped they could go home afterwards instead of being stuck here. But now, Alice might have screwed all of that up because she couldn't control her temper.

Sammy let go of Alice's neck and backed away from her. It took everything he had not to shake the living daylights out of her. He turned and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He made a left and headed straight for the elevator. As he boarded the elevator and punched the number 14, he just hoped the kids were alright.

Alice stood in the corner, gasping for air, and rubbing her throat. She had never seen him that angry before. Susie warned her that he wouldn't be pleased, but his reaction caught them both off guard. Alice pressed herself against the wall and slid down until she was sitting on the floor. She wrapped her arms around herself and began to rock.

 _" **I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…** "_

.

 **-14th Floor-**

 **.**

Norman sat and listened to the girls as they told him about their cousin, Bendy. He couldn't believe Henry escaped this place with a living toon. And from the sound of it, he was perfect. It was exactly what Joey wanted, what he worked so hard, and sacrificed so many lives for. Henry stumbles into the studio and somehow got help from a perfectly on model version of Bendy without even trying. Norman chuckled softly. He was sure that must have pissed Joey off.

The projectionist's thoughts were interrupted by a loud clanking noise. The elevator was coming back down. If it was the angel, he was going to give her a piece of his mind.

Beth and Sarah grew quiet when they heard the sound as well. They threw nervous glances at the stairs and looked up at him. He knew they were scared. He told them to stay in the room while he checked it out. He walked up the stairs as quietly as he could and peaked around the corner.

Norman was surprised to see Sammy walk off the elevator…or rather stomp off the elevator. He was hissing loudly with his mouth wide open. He seemed agitated as he looked around the area. Thank goodness the kids aren't here to see this. Sammy was truly a frightening sight.

Norman shook his head before stepping out so Sammy could see him. " **Sammy!** " The former prophet whirled around and looked surprised to see him. " **Why are ya down here?** " Sammy hissed loudly and pantomimed that he was looking for someone. Norman crossed his arms over his chest and watched the frantic movements.

" **Are you looking for the little ones?** " Sammy nodded vigorously. Norman sighed, " **Ya know how they got down here, right?** " The short hissing growl he received was all he needed to know. Sammy knew and wasn't happy about it.

" **Well, I found 'em and they're safe.** " Sammy's shoulders sagged with relief. " **Follow me.** " They made their way to the steps that lead down to the break room. Before stepping over the threshold, Norman turned to Sammy and whispered, " **Ya might wanna calm down before we go down there.** " He pointed to the rows of sharp teeth and drool dripping from the gaping mouth. " **We don't wanna scare them.** " Gauging from Sammy's expression, he hadn't realized he looked like that. He made sure his mouth was closed before heading down the stairs.

Norman was a little curious to see how the kids would react to seeing Sammy again. He was pleasantly surprised when their eyes lit up and they ran over to him. "Mr. Sammy! Mr. Sammy!" Both girls called out. Sammy reached out and ever so gently ruffled the girls' hair. They giggled and began telling him about their little adventure on the 14nth floor.

Norman could tell how hard it was for Sammy not to screech or gnash his teeth as he heard how they got caught by one of the Edgar clones. He visible relaxed when they told him how Norman saved them. Sammy turned to the Projectionist and nodded his thanks. Norman returned the gesture, more than happy he was there to help. The girls reminded him of his own younger siblings back home. He knew he'd never let them get trapped in a place like this.

" **You girls should head back with Sammy now. It's dangerous down here.** " Norman was expecting the kids to run for the door, but they seemed to hesitate. Before he could ask if something was wrong, Sarah approached him.

"Mr. Norman?" The little girl anxiously wrung the end of her shirt in her hands. "Can you come with us? Please?"

He stared at the girls and didn't know what to say. He looked up at Sammy for help but he just shrugged. He seemed amused by his reaction. Norman was planning on returning to his old routine of roaming the halls and tearing apart any Butcher Gang member that made their way down here. He didn't think the kids wanted him to come along as well.

" **Umm, well-** " the more Norman thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea. He could keep an eye on them just in case Sammy had to leave the room again. Frankly he didn't trust the angel after this stunt she pulled. " **Sure, why not.** " He laughed when the girls cheered and Sarah took his hand. She looked relieved that he was coming. He had a sneaking suspicion that neither girl wanted to be left alone with the fallen angel, again.

When the group got to the top of the steps, Norman picked the girls up and carried them to the elevator so they wouldn't have to wade through the ink. The ride to the upper levels was very quiet. Beth held her sister's hand the entire way. Norman reassured them that they had nothing to worry about when they reached their floor and marched to the break room.

* * *

Alice was still sitting in the corner when the door flung open. Sammy stepped through first, followed by the kids. She grimaced as she took notice of their clothes covered in ink. What really surprised her was the fact that Norman followed close behind them. The fallen angel got to her feet and headed towards the group.

The girls ran for the couch, leaving Alice to explain herself to the other adults in the room. "W-Well, it looks like the brats are okay." Neither Sammy nor Norman appreciated her sarcasm. If Sammy had visible eyes, they would be rolling.

" **Oh yeah, they're fine. They just waded through a pool of ink to reach the stairs. Y'know, because SOMEONE promised to take them to their mother!** " Alice flinched at the sharpness in his voice.

" **Then they ran into an Edgar clone that chased them back down the stairs and right into my area.** " He waved his hand around dismissively. " **It was a good thing I showed up or they might have gotten hurt…** " Alice curled in on herself as both men stared her down.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't think they would run into anything down there!" Sammy shook his head and walk away in disgust. She called for him to come back but he ignored her.

" **Alice. We're not the ones you need to apologize to.** " Norman tilted his head towards the two little girls Sammy was wrapping up in an old blanket that was sitting on the back of the couch. Alice sighed and made her way to the couch. The girls eyed her nervously as she bumbled her way through an apology and walked away before the kids could respond. They looked more confused than anything.

Sammy returned to the piano and played a soft tune while Norman sat on the couch with the girls. He noticed how they would yawn and rub their eyes. They were very tired and he couldn't blame them. The sisters curled up next to one another and they slowly drifted off to sleep. He couldn't believe they were comfortable enough with a bunch of monsters to actually fall asleep.

Norman sighed and reach over and adjusted the blanket on their tiny shoulders. He prayed that the children didn't suffer the same fate as everyone else in this cursed studio.

.

 **-In The Office-**

 **.**

Henry groaned and fought to open his eyes. He tried to sit up but found it difficult with his arms tied behind his back. He found himself laying on his side so he managed to roll on his stomach, got his knees under him, and was able to finally sit up.

Henry took a minute to take in his surroundings. He was sitting on the floor of a very large office. The rustling of fabric and muffled screams to his left got his attention. It was June! She was hog tied and laying on a couch. He tried to get to his feet but a large gloved hand grabbed his shoulder and pushed him back down. Henry turned to find the ink demon standing next to him.

"YOU!" Henry growled out. He could feel the pentagram in his right hand pulse and his canines growing longer. This monster caught him by surprise before, but not this time! Henry concentrated. He could feel the ink moving through his veins. His hands shook as the ink bled through the pentagram and began to cover his skin. He was going to get his family out of here and no one was going to stop him!

A single drop of ink dripped onto the floor and the seal Henry sat on lit up like a Christmas tree. Henry didn't notice until a bolt of energy hit him. He felt like he was being electrocuted. His entire body was caught in a massive spasm and he lost his concentration. More ink spilled onto the seal which caused more energy to course through his body. He could barely hear June's muffled screams through the loud buzzing in his head. The pain was excruciating and felt like it went on forever. It did finally stopped, leaving Henry shaken and panting on the floor.

"I wouldn't do that again if I were you." Henry blinked to clear his blurry vision and turned towards the voice. "It's about time you woke up." His brow creased in confusion, then he slowly took in the woman's features. Jet black hair that's now salt 'n pepper. Full lips that have a few lines in the corners. The one thing that hadn't changed were her eyes. Those light grey eyes that held nothing but warmth for him in the past was now stone cold as she glared at him. "Linda?" She smiled but it made his skin crawl.

"Hey there Henry. Long time, no see." She leaned against the desk with her arms crossed over her chest.

He tried to swallow past the lump growing in his throat. Henry hadn't seen her since the day he left the Studio. She begged him to go back but he refused. He was tired of Joey taking credit for all his hard work. Linda got angry and walked out on him. Now she stood here, like a ghost from his past.

"Linda? Why-why are you here? What's going on?!" That lump in his throat grew heavier the longer she stared at him. She sighed softly and shook her head.

"Did you know that Jojo wrote me all the time? He didn't want me to visit him here, so that was how we kept in touch." Henry looked confused. He wasn't sure what that had to do with anything. "Then one day, the letters stopped coming." She brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes. "I got worried so I worked up the courage to come here against my brother's wishes."

She pushed off the desk and walked up to him. Henry got the impression she was studying him.

"When I got here, it was very quiet. Not a living soul to be found." She waved her hand at something over Henry's shoulder. Large hands grabbed his shoulders and pulled him up until he was sitting on his knees.

"The last letter I got from him was that he was inviting you back to the studio. He wanted to show you something." She knelt down, reached out, and caressed his cheek. "I searched high and low for some sign of my brother. I couldn't find him." Her voice cracked at the end. The look of anguish on her face made his heart twist. He shook his head slightly.

"Linda. You don't understand-" She grabbed his chin and yanked his head up. The anguish he saw morphed into anger. "I did find the machine he was working on. I used The Illusion of Living and a few things I learned over the years to bring back someone who could tell me what the hell happened here!"

Linda chuckled at the shocked expression on Henry's face. "We've been dabbling in the occult since we were young. How else do you think he was able to pull all of this off." She tilted her head towards the ink demon and tapped one of the gems on her choker. "I even got control over that thing."

Henry's eyes shifted over to 'Bendy'. He just now noticed a similar collar around his neck. The demon's smile slipped slightly and he hissed at Linda.

Henry winced as she dug her nails into his skin. He tried to explain what happened but she cut him off again.

"I'll admit, I screwed up when bringing Sammy back, but he still proved useful even if he couldn't speak. By the time I got to the angel and the projectionist, they all but confirmed that you were the last person to see my brother alive…"

Henry wasn't prepared for it. She slapped him across the face so hard, it made his head snap to the side. He blinked and could see June trying to slide off the couch. Her screams were muffled and he could see tears in her eyes. It hurt him to see her like this. He turned back to Linda only to see those cold grey eyes boring a hole through him.

"He was all I had and you took him away from me!" She growled out. "You need to pay for that." She stood up and returned to her desk.

"Linda please. After I saw what he did here, I just wanted to escape." He knew he sounded desperate, but he didn't care. "I was just defending myself…" He trailed off when he noticed a large glass jar sitting next to her on the desk. It looked like something was swimming in the clear liquid.

Linda shook her head as she unscrewed the lid to the jar. "It doesn't matter. You're here and he's not. He was the only family I had and now he's gone."

Henry began to realize that no matter what he said, he couldn't change her mind. She blamed him for what happened to Joey even though he brought it all on himself. Henry growled and looked over at June. Her eyes glistened with fear and unshed tears. He never wanted to put her or her family in danger like this.

"Look, you have me!" Henry yelled at Linda. "Please, let my family go. They had nothing to do with this." She looked amused at this and it made him angry.

"Oh Henry, I haven't figured out what I'm gonna do with Juney's little girls or that little toon you escaped with…" June's muffled screams reflected the horror he felt at her statement. "but I need her for what I have planned for you. You're gonna learn what it's like to loose someone close to you."

Linda reached into the glass jar and pulled something out. She walked over to June and opened her hand. Henry's eyes grew wide. It was an ink slug! He stumbled forward and yelled for Linda to stop, but 'Bendy' used his long arms to pull him back by his hair. The ink demon took great care not to touch any part of the seal Henry was sitting on.

"Don't worry Henry. This isn't meant for her." June tried to lean back into the couch as Linda held the slug out to her. "You see, these little slugs are the poor souls that are trapped in the ink." June watched as the little creature slithered around Linda's fingers. "They are harmless to people like us, but it's a different story for creatures of ink." She looked at Henry. "Or someone that has ink in their veins."

Linda moved away from June and walked towards Henry. He tried to get to his feet, but he couldn't with his hands still tied behind his back and 'Bendy's' tight grip on his hair. Linda walked around him slowly as the ink demon held him in place. "These poor souls will do anything for you if you promise them their freedom." Something cold and slimy was placed on the back of his neck. 'Bendy' let him go and Henry began to freak out as the slimy feeling crawled up his neck. He tried to shake it off but it was stuck to his skin.

"LINDA! W-WHAT DID YOU-" There was a sharp pain at the base of his skull. Henry gasped as he felt his consciousness being dragged into the dark. His eyelids fluttered and then completely closed as his body slumped forward.

June tried to call out to her brother. She didn't know what Linda did to him and she prayed the crazy lady didn't kill him. She watched as Linda knelt in front of Henry, lifted his head with one and, and used her fingers to pry open his eyelids. Linda hummed softly as she saw a thin ring of yellow form around the soft green of Henry's eyes. Satisfied with what she saw, the let go of Henry's head.

"Looks like everything is going as planned." Linda just smiled sweetly at the rage in June's eyes. "Don't worry Juney. Henry just needs a little time to prepare. Then the real fun will begin."

.

 ** _._**

 _Henry came to with a start. He found himself standing in the middle of a grassy field. Off in the distance stood a familiar farm house and behind him, a large oak tree. It's broad branches and full green leaves shaded him from the bright sun overhead. Henry recognized this place. It was his old family home. But, how did he get here…_

 _Henry reached up and rubbed the back of his head. It hurt for some reason. For the life of him, he couldn't remember how he got back here. He began to panic. There was someplace he had to be, someplace important! At least it felt urgent but he was drawing a blank as to why._

 _"Hey old man!" Henry whipped around to find June sitting at the base of the tree. She sat crossed legged with her powder blue sun dress covering her legs. Henry ran up to her. He fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around her. June yelped before wrapping her own arms around him, returning the hug._

" _Woah, Henry! What's wrong?" He had a hard time explaining it, but it just felt like if he didn't do this, he would loose her. June looked a little confused and told him she wasn't going anywhere._

 _"I-I'm sorry June-bug. It just feels like…like something is wrong. I'm anxious to do…something! I just can't remember what it is!" Henry grabbed his hair and tugged it out of frustration. He told her that he felt like they were in danger. June reached out and gripped his hand to stop him from pulling his hair._

 _"Hey big bro, everything is okay. See! We're home and there is nothing dangerous here." Henry gave her a sidelong glance. She gave him a reassuring smile._

 _"But-" June hushed him and pulled him until his back was pressed against the oak tree. She took his hand in her own and rested her head on his shoulder._

 _"Henry, we're safe here. There's nothing out to get us." He squeezed her hand. "You've spent your whole life worrying about others. You don't have to do that anymore." She looked at him. Her eyes full of concern. "It's time you took care of yourself. That's why we're here." She waved her hand at the open field. "This is the one place we could go and feel like the evils of the world couldn't touch us. Remember?"_

 _Henry sighed and let his body sag against the tree. June was right. Growing up, they would sit under this old oak tree and talk about their hopes and dreams. The warm summer breeze would cause the grass to sway and the quiet would lull them into a sense of calm that he rarely found anywhere else._

 _He could feel his body growing heavy as he felt very tired all of a sudden. Henry yawned and blinked a few times as he fought to keep his eyes open. June giggled as she watched him loose the battle with sleep._

 _"It's alright bro. Get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up."_

 _"You promise?" he mumbled. The dark was closing in._

 _"I promise." June looked out over the field. Slowly, the grass began to wither. It went from a lush green, to brown, and to black that spread around them until they were sitting in a rippling pool of ink. The farmhouse in the distance rotted, groaned, and crumbled into a pile of yellowing wood. The sky went from a vibrant blue to swirls of purple and black. The sun was completely gone. The oak's leaves fell off its gnarling branches and dissolved into the ink Henry was sitting in._

 _June reached out and caressed his cheek. Her fingers left a trail of ink as her hand turned black. The ink crept up her arms and legs until it covered her whole body. She opened her mouth as though to scream but no sound came out. Instead her mouth stretched wider and wider as her arms and legs fused into her body and all that was left was a large inky blob sitting next to Henry._

 _The slug wrapped it's pulsating body around him, pinning him to the dead tree. There, it whispered to him as his consciousness fell deeper and deeper into the darkness._

 _._

 ** _._**

Linda sat at her desk as she leafed through the book that Joey left her. Soon Henry would be ready and her little game could begin. Just thinking about it made her giddy with excitement.

Her thoughts drifted towards the little toon she had trapped in the lower levels. The seal he was laying in was meant to trap and weaken, not kill him. Oh no, she had plans for him. After watching him transform she knew she could put him to good use. All she needed was the right spell and a way to control him. "After this is all over, I'll figure out a way to control that other Bendy. His abilities could be useful to me."

The ink demon heard this and his head snapped in Linda's direction. She couldn't be serious! That little ink blot would never take orders from her. The fact that she was even considering it made him angry. He shuffled over to her and slammed his large gloved hand on the desk. He got great satisfaction out of watching her jump at the sudden movement before scowling at him.

"What the hell is your problem?!" 'Bendy' pointed to the book and shook his head. It was foolish to try to control the other toon. He was too loyal to Henry and his family. He would turn on the foolish woman in a heartbeat. Of course, she misunderstood his intentions as she stood up and glared at him.

"I'm warning you." She said in a hushed tone. "Don't get in my way, or you'll regret it." Get in her way?! He had done everything she'd ordered him to do. He might have helped her voluntary if she hadn't slapped this blasted collar around his neck. She was Joey's kin after all. From day one, she never trusted him and used pain to get what she wanted from him. He had hoped that she would leave once she got her revenge, but it seems that's not the case if she wanted control of the little toon too.

That was it. Something within him snapped! 'Bendy' had had it with her. He was close enough, maybe he could grab her before she could use the blaster collar against him. He took a chance and lunged at her from across the desk.

'Bendy' got within an inch of her neck when white hot energy coursed through his body. He fell to the floor, screeching, and clawing at the collar that was burning his neck.

Linda walked around her desk and stood over the demon as he convulsed on the floor. "Don't think for a second that I forgot the role you played in my brother's death! YOU FAILED TO PROTECT HIM!"

June closed her eyes and curled up on the couch. She tried to shut out the demon's anguished wails as Linda continued to torture him. The woman truly lost it. She blamed everyone for Joey's death but refused to see the hand he had in his own demise.

She wasn't sure when Linda stopped punishing the demon. Its screams died down to garbled wheezing and panting. The air had a strange metallic and smoky smell to it. It turned June's stomach. She opened her eyes and looked over at Henry. He was in the same position before the screaming started. He hadn't moved an inch. ' _What did she do to you?'_

Linda's haughty laughter caught June's attention. Linda just stood there with her arms crossed over her chest as she stared down at the demon's twitching body.

"Now, get out of my sight. I'll summon you when I need you." A pool of ink formed under 'Bendy's' body. He took a few more wheezing breaths before his body sunk into the pool. Then the ink seeped through the floorboards and he was gone.

Linda returned to her desk. She opened one of the draws and rifled through it until she pulled out a large knife. She seemed to study it, turning it over in her hands, and eyeing its sharpness. Linda walked around the desk and over to Henry. June began to panic as the woman approached him.

Linda knelt down in front of him and forced his eyelid open again. June couldn't see what the other woman was looking at but she must have liked what she saw. She flashed June a smug grin before using the knife to cut Henry's bonds. Linda stood up, brushed some dust off her skirt, and took a few steps back.

"Alright Henry, stand up." June watched as her brother slowly got to his feet. He swayed from side to side and didn't open his eyes. Linda came closer, reached out, and patted him on his shoulder. "Good boy." June bristled as her tone, like she was praising a dog or something.

Linda turned her cold gaze towards June and the woman stared back with a fiery glare. She left Henry's side and stood next to the couch. She could hear June growling at her even through the gag in her mouth. She shook her head and tsked.

"Now now Juney, none of that. It's very unlady-like." She held out the knife so June could see it. "We're gonna play a little game…" Linda reached down and cut the cord from around June's ankles and hands.

June slowly sat up and pulled the rag out of her mouth. She rubbed her wrists to get rid of the numbness. Linda still had the large knife pointed at her so she wasn't taking any chances. "What kind of game?" she eyed the other woman suspiciously.

Linda smiled. "It's really quite simple. I'm going to let you go." June narrowed her green eyes at her. "I'll give you a head start, then I'm sending Henry after you."

"What do you mean?" June was extremely confused. She understood what Linda said and it still didn't make any sense to her. Her brother would never hurt her!

"I don't know how simple I can make this." Her tone grated June's nerves. "You're gonna run and your brother'll hunt you down. If he catches you, he WILL tear you apart." Linda's eyes were full of bloodlust.

June looked absolutely flabbergasted. Her brother would never do something like that! This woman was bat-shit crazy! She scowled at Linda as she slid off the couch, never taking her eyes off the knife she held in her hand. She ran up to Henry. He was still standing in the middle of the room with his head bowed and eyes closed. June grabbed his shoulders and shook him.

"Henry?! Henry, wake up!" After a few shakes, he moaned and lifted his head. June was relieved that he heard her. She reached up and pressed her hand against his cheek. He sighed and reached up to cup her hand in his.

"C'mon bro. We need to find everyone so we can get out of here!" June thought she was reaching him until he finally opened eyes. Gone was the soft green. It was replaced with an unnatural yellow swimming in a sea of black. He stared at her like he didn't know who she was. June felt a sharp pain in her hand. Henry gripped her hand and was twisting her wrist. "H-Henry! W-what are you doing!?" He pulled her hand away from his face and continued to twist her hand in his vice-like grip.

June tried to pull away, but he wasn't letting go. She scratched and clawed at his hand but he acted like he felt nothing. "Henry, STOP!" she yelled. It felt like he was trying to break her hand. His lips pulled back and he growled at her with a mouth full of sharp teeth!

June couldn't believe this was happening. Whatever Linda did to him has turned him against her. Scratching his hand and punching him in the chest did nothing to deter him. She yelled out in pain and swore she saw him smile. That broke her heart.

"Let her go." Linda commanded. Henry pushed June and she stumbled away from him. She held her hand close to her chest. A look of betrayal and hurt played across her face.

"You better get going Juney. And please, make this interesting. Don't get killed by anything else in this place or you'll ruin the game and-" Linda pointed to the double doors. "my attentions might turn to those precious little girls of yours. I'll be watching you too." She laughed at June's horrified expression.

June took one last look at her brother before she pushed opened the double doors and fled the room.

Linda chuckled. "This is going to be so much fun."

.

 **OoOoOoOoO**

 **.**

She didn't know where she was going. She just knew she had to get as far from that room as possible. June's thoughts were frantic. Where were her girls? Where was Jason? Was he still alive? Where was Bendy? Maybe he could help her save Henry! All these thoughts was like a never ending circle in her mind. Everything was made worse by the fact that this place was built like a maze.

June ran into rooms with ink flowing down the walls or flowing up the walls. She could see objects that looked like furniture suspended in mid air by strings of solid it. She found stairs that led down. The lower she went, the darker the atmosphere seemed to get. June found wooden sheds with the words "Little Miracle Station" written on them. She hid inside and waited for the strange toy like creatures to pass by.

When she thought the coast was clear, June ran down one hallway and got attacked by a searcher. It clawed at the hem of her skirt and knocked her down to the ground. June managed to grab a piece of wood that was laying in the corner and hit it in the head. After a few panicked whacks, it finally let go. It moaned and melted into a puddle of ink.

June made sure she kept her weapon close as she moved through the halls as quietly as she could. She jumped at every creak and moan she heard echoing down the halls. She couldn't stop from shaking. June often wondered how Henry even made it through this place. Everything here was out to kill you! At least he had Bendy. She was so grateful to the little toon for sticking by her brother throughout it all…

Her thoughts came to a screeching halt at a strange sound coming from up ahead. It sounded like heavy, wheezing, wet breathing. June knew she should turn around and go in the other direction. Whatever it was would probably try to kill her. But she didn't. Curse her curiosity!

June tip toed down the hall and peaked around a corner. There, sitting on the floor…was the ink demon! His back was up against the wall and his head was bowed forward. She could see the strange collar around his neck. It looked like it was still smoking and digging into his inky flesh. The wet, wheezing sound was coming from him. It sounded awful. Like someone trying to cough up a lung full of water. Other than the shallow rise and fall of his chest, he wasn't moving. June couldn't see his eyes, but she guest he must be knocked out.

She backed away from the corner. She didn't have time for this. Who knows when Linda was going to send Henry after her. June turned on her heels and started to walk away when she heard the demon whine. An image of her own nephew flashed in her mind. ' _No! He's nothing like him. That Bendy is a monster…'_ she berated herself. She tried to walk away but the sounds of the demon whining stopped her again. It sounded so weak and in pain.

June threw her head back and groaned. She couldn't believe this! She felt sorry for him? What was wrong with her? She must be loosing HER damned mind.

She huffed and stomped her foot. She was going to regret this, she just knew it. June turned and quietly walked up to the creature. He didn't move or even take notice of her presence. She grimaced as she looked the collar over. There was a metal clasp on the back. It was covered in the creature's ink and flesh. "Aw geez." She whispered.

June laid the piece of wood against the wall. She made sure it was close enough just in case she had to use it. Even sitting down, the demon was tall and it forced June stand on the tips of her toes as she leaned over him. She used the tips of her fingers to push the slimy flesh to the side and fiddle with the slippery clasp. It clicked open and she was able to peel the collar off of his neck. Strands of ink clung to it as she pulled it away.

"Eww, this is disgusting!" she whispered as she tossed the ink covered collar off to the side. She wiped her fingers on her skirt as she tried to get rid of the sliminess. In all that time, the ink demon hadn't moved. The wheezing breaths it took sounded less pained. "At least she can't control you anymore."

June grabbed her wooden weapon and sprinted down the hall. She wasn't taking any chance on him waking up and doing who-knows-what to her. She already felt stupid for getting that close in the first place.

She slowed down when she reached a T shaped intersection at the end of the hall. She didn't know which way to go. Neither choice looked good if she was being honest, but she couldn't just stand there.

Fate made the choice for her when she heard loud moans coming from the other end of the hall. Searchers, a lot of the! Bodies rose up from the ink and dragged themselves across the floor. There were too many for her to fight so she took off down the other hall. Big mistake.

June cried out when she ran into a dead end. A large Bendy statue was there, grinning down at her. Maybe if she was fast enough, she could head back and cut around the group that was chasing her. No suck luck. The searchers moved faster than she thought. Soon they were on her, grabbing at her legs, tugging on the edges of her skirt, and trying to drag her down.

June swung the piece of wood wildly as she tried to get away from the inky creatures. She managed to get in a few hits, but there were too many of them. They grabbed her arms and forces her to drop her weapon. Her screams were drowned out by their moans. She fought to stay on her feet. June knew if they got her on the ground, that would be it for her. She couldn't go down like this! She needed to save her family.

June's vision started to blur as tears ran down her cheek. It was getting harder and harder to breath with so many bodies pressed against her. She knew screaming for help was useless but there was nothing she could do. She closed her eyes tightly as she got pulled down to her knees. June didn't have the strength to pull herself back up. _'I'm so sorry everyone. I-'_

She gasped as she felt the mass of bodies pressed around her shudder. One by one, the searchers moaned and popped like water balloons. Soon, June had ink covering her legs and the lower part of her skirt. She sat there, panting as she tried to catch her breath.

June stared at the floor. They were gone. All of them, just gone! She was confused as to what happened. That was until she heard a sharp hiss from down the hall. This had to be a nightmare! The ink demon was shuffling towards her. His shadowy veins snaking against the walls and floor around her. June tried to get to her feet but she kept slipping on the ink left behind by the destroyed searchers.

'This can't be happening! He's gonna kill me!' her thoughts raced. She wanted to cry. She really thought she had a chance in a place like this. Heh, who was she kidding.

June screamed when 'Bendy' grabbed her by her arm and hauled her to her feet. He pushed her and used his height to pin her against the wall. She stared up at him wide eyed and shaking like a leaf. The demon was extremely intimidating. Not just because he was taller or stronger than her. No. There was an air of danger about him. Like standing face to face with a wild tiger. You can feel its killing intent and are just waiting for it to pounce.

"P-Please, I j-just wanna find my girls." June found it hard to raise her voice above a whisper with the ink demon standing so close. His smile grew a little wider and his wheezing laughter rung in her ears. No matter how many times Henry tried to describe it to her, nothing could prepare her for facing the demon on her own. June could barely breath. It was like his mere presence sucked all the air out of their confined space.

June jumped when he loomed over her and rested his head on her shoulder. His grip on her upper arm tightened ever so slightly. She whimpered and shut her eyes when he sighed and his breath caressed her neck. It smelled of rancid ink and was so very cold. Like a blast of winter air hitting exposed skin. She could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

'Bendy' tilted his head until his mouth was pressed against her cheek. A soft sob crept its way up her throat. If she was going to die, she didn't want to see it. Her only regret was that she wasn't strong enough to save her family.

The ink demon nuzzled the frightened woman's cheek. Her fear was so refreshing. He wanted to feed on it forever. 'Bendy' chuckled before whispering "Thaaank yooou…" in her ear. The woman gasped, then he shoved her…

…..

...

And she was falling.


	4. You Will Know My Pain

**A/N:** This story is separate from my Slice of Life stories. This story picks up right where "All These Shadows Keep Closing In..." left off. If you haven't read that one yet, please do. It explains a lot. It's based on the ink! Henry stories and artwork done by shinyzango and themarginalartist on tumblr.

 **Disclaimer:** Bendy and the Ink Machine is owned by TheMeatly. I only own my Ocs.

 **.**

 **We Will Face The Darkness, Together.**

 **Part 4**

 **.**

It was dark.

So very dark…

June didn't know where she was. It was pitch black, cold, and it felt like she was floating in a pool of thick water. On reflex, she was holding her breath to keep herself from drowning. She knew she had her eyes open but she couldn't see a thing! There were muffled screams all around her. Every once and awhile she could swear she felt something brushing against her body.

June couldn't tell if she was floating up or down. There was no point of reference for her here and she was getting scared. There seemed to be no way out! Would she end up floating here until she drowned? What would happen to her family? They don't even know where she is. She doesn't even know where she is!

June began to kick her legs and swing her arms as she tried to swim but soon gave up on that. It didn't feel like she was getting anywhere. The slight burn in her lungs let June know that she was running out of time. Her heart began to beat rapidly as a few bubbles of air escaped her mouth. A strange liquid with a chemical taste hit her tongue and made her gag, thus loosing more precious air from her lungs.

June curled up into a ball and shut her eyes tightly. She didn't want to die, not like this. She shook her head and fought the tears that burned her eyes. She just wanted to see her kids again. She needed to know if Jason was still alive. Bendy... That sweet little toon. She hoped that he was okay. A pit formed in her stomach when she thought of her brother and what Linda did to him. She just wanted to leave this place!

June startled when something brushed against her cheek. Her eyes flew open. She spotted a glimmer of light just below her. It looked like light filtering through dark water. Maybe it was a way out! She tried to swim towards it but she held her breath too long. Her body was growing sluggish and her heart was beating so hard in her chest, it hurt. She was too tired. She'll never make it on her own.

Right at that moment, she could feel a large hand pressed against her back. She was being pushed towards the light. June didn't know who was helping her and she really didn't care. She just wanted to reach the exit. At least, she hoped it was the exit. It had to be!

June reached out weakly as the shimmering window grew closer. The last bit of air escaped her lungs as it hurt too much to hold it in any longer. Her eyelids felt heavy but she'd be damned if she'd let them close now. As the area around her brightened, June was horrified to see dozens of ink slugs swimming around her. They bumped and swarmed around her like bees. The slugs bounced against the shimmering doorway but couldn't pass through.

Her fingertips brushed against the glittery portal. There was a flash of light that blinded her…and June found herself hitting the floor. The force of which caused her to cough and sputter as she tried to get as much air in her lungs as possible. Her heart was thudding in her ears as well. June blinked a few times to clear her vision. She could see ink running down her body and away from her. By the time she was able to sit up, there was no ink clinging to her body. It just slid through the gaps in the floorboards.

"B-But how?" she whispered. June looked up to find herself sitting at the foot of another Bendy statue. At first she thought it was the same one from the dead end hallway the ink demon cornered her in. She shuddered when she remembered how he grabbed her, his cold breath on her neck, or how he whispered in her ear.

June wrapped her arms around herself. She sat there for a moment, collecting her thoughts. She needed to get up and move. Staying in one place would only get her killed. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. As the thudding in her ears began to quiet down, she could hear the faint sound of music. It was a…piano.

Gripping the base of the statue, June pulled herself to her feet. It was at this moment she noticed how different this hallway was. It was brighter and wider. There was very little ink dripping in the corners or the ceiling. She was definitely in a different part of the Studio.

June sighed and decided to follow the music. She figured she had nothing else to loose. As she made her way down the hall and past a few closed doors, the music grew louder. Soon she found herself standing in front of a door where the music was coming from. She reached out and put her hand on the doorknob. June hesitated. She wasn't sure what she was walking into but just standing here was getting her no where.

June took a deep breath and opened the door…

.

 **-In The Office-**

 **.**

Linda thanked her brother for his paranoia. Joey had placed cameras in different spots throughout the lower levels. She was surprised to find the surveillance equipment in a room on level 9. It seems the angel was using it to keep track of the comings and goings of all the creatures down here. Linda took some of the equipment before locking Alice out of her little sanctuary. She wasn't happy about that but knew better than to complain after Linda punished her for speaking out.

Linda managed to install what she pilfered in the back of her own office. A single television with a few knobs on the side of the screen. Turning the knobs flips the image from one camera to the next. And so, she was using this to find June.

"Well, will you look at that." Linda chuckled. She was surprised to find June on the upper level. She was heading for the room her girls were in. Linda had a sneaking suspicion that Sammy and Alice won't do a thing to stop her. It didn't matter. This just made it easier to track her down.

Linda turned and walked towards her front desk. She opened the draw and pulled out a bottle of acetone. She carried it over to Henry. He was standing right where she left him, in the middle of a seal she drew on the floor. She reached out and touched his cheek. His yellow eyes followed her movements but his face remained emotionless.

"Are you ready?" Henry nodded and lifted his right hand, showing Linda the soft red glow of the pentagram embedded within it. "Good. Let's get this game started. I think we've given Juney enough time." She said in a sing song voice.

Linda stepped to the side and poured the acetone on the outer lines of the seal. It sizzled and bubbled as the lines began to run. She grabbed the rag she used to gag June and wiped away the melting lines. The seal flashed a bright purple before fading.

Henry raised his hand and watched as the red glow of the pentagram grew brighter. The veins in his hand got darker and ink began to bleed through the symbol. He smiled, flashing sharp teeth, as the ink covered his hand and spread up his arm.

Linda stood by some barrels near the double doors. She lifted her foot and kicked the barrels over. They spilt ink on the floor which flowed towards Henry. The ink was drawn to him as it crawled up his legs and across his body.

She watched in amazement as her new puppet's shape changed. He grew taller and bulkier, with long muscular arms and hands so massive, he could crush a man without ever trying. As he flexed his hands his fingertips elongated into sharp claws. He hunched over until he looked like he was standing on all fours. Linda could hear muffled cracks and pops as his body seemed to reshape itself.

Henry's growls grew deeper and deeper as his head was completely covered in ink. The white patch of his hair was black and stuck out like a sharp fin. Ink flowed down the right side of his face which left him with one visible eye. Said eye was large, wide, and almost oval in shape. It was glassy and glowed a harsh yellow.

He threw his head back and opened his mouth. The ink clung to his maw and made a sickening snapping sound as he opened wider. White, jagged teeth could be seen shining against the ink that dribbled from his mouth. Henry roared and the sound shook the walls, causing Linda to take a few steps back. Being in the same room with him like this was rather intimidating. She would be scared if she wasn't so confident she had control over him. Linda moved away from the door and cautiously walked up to the ink covered man.

Henry was panting heavily and clawing at the floor. The ink on his back boiled and rose high as it nearly touched the ceiling. He turned his head slightly when he heard Linda walk up to him. He stood there quietly and waited for his orders.

Linda smiled. She reached up and ran her hand down his massive arm. There was no aggression towards her whatsoever. Henry will definitely make a better pet then that ink demon.

"Alright Henry, go find June." Linda tapped her chin in thought then smirked mischievously. "You might want to start on the upper levels." Henry nodded and moved towards the double doors. "Oh and Henry?" The ink covered man stopped and looked over his massive shoulder. "Kill anything that gets in your way." The only response she got was a grunt as he pushed open the doors.

Linda grabbed a chair and headed for the back of the office. She sat down at the surveillance equipment. "This is going to be fun."

.

 **-The Break Room-**

 **.**

Norman wasn't expecting anyone other than Linda to be standing at the door. The woman looked caught between relief and dismay. Her green eyes kept darting from the kids to the three of them with her stare lingering on Sammy a bit. It only took Norman a second to figure out who she was.

" **Hey, hey Sammy! Can ya kill the music for a minute! We have a guest.** " Sammy stopped playing and turned to see what the projectionist was talking about. He hissed softly when he realized who it was. He even heard Alice gasp from the other side of the room.

Norman reached over very slowly and touched Sarah's shoulder. This caused the woman to take a few quick steps into the room. She looked so scared as she held out her hands and pleaded with him not to hurt her girls.

Norman shook Sarah's shoulder lightly. " **Wake up! Hey, there's someone here ta see ya.** " The little girl moaned and wiggled her arms from under the blanket. She rubbed her eyes and blinked up at Norman. He turned his head and Sarah followed his motion.

The little girl's eyes grew wide. She shook her sister, yelling for her to wake up. Sarah threw the blanket off both of them and tugged on her big sister's hand. "Beth, Beth look! It's momma!" Beth's face lit up when she saw their mother standing there. Both girls jumped off the couch and ran towards the woman.

She knelt down and opened her arms wide as the kids crashed into her. Tears spilled from her eyes as she hugged both girls tightly.

Norman got up and walked towards the little group. The woman's head shot up and she lifted both girls in her arms. She backed up and yelled for him to stay away.

" **Woah, take it easy lady.** " Norman held his hands up and stopped moving. " **We're not gonna hurtcha.** " Her eyes darted towards Sammy again and then back to him. If he could have, he would have frowned at the incredulous look she gave him.

She put the girls down and was pulling them towards the door again. He couldn't let her leave with the kids. " **Please, don't go out there with them. You'll only get yourselves killed.** " The woman hesitated. She wanted to run but keep her children safe as well.

"Mamma, it's okay. Mr. Norman is our friend!" Sarah took her mother by the hand and tried to pull her back into the room.

"He's really nice. So is Mr. Sammy!" Beth took her other hand and tugged too. The little girls stopped when they noticed Alice staring at them from the other side of the room. "Cept for Ms. Angel. She's kinda mean." Beth whispered.

Norman stood to the side and pointed to the couch. " **I promise ma'am, we'll keep our distance. Jus' don't go out there.** " The woman stared at him then sighed and let the girls pull her over to the couch. She sat down and listened as they told her about their adventures in the Studio. June tried very hard not to curse at the part where they got chased by one of those toy like monsters or run over and slap Alice for getting them in trouble in the first place. Instead she graced Norman with a soft smile. "My name is June by the way and it sounds like you've been looking after my girls. Thank you."

June hugged her girls then stood up. She told them to stay on the couch while she talked with Mr. Norman. They walked towards the door to be out of ear shot of the kids and she told the projectionist what happened to her brother.

"Linda used some kind of slug…thing to take control of Henry. I didn't think it was possible, but the way he looked at me-" June shook her head. She knew it wasn't his fault, but the betrayal still stung. "It was like he didn't know me. She even ordered him to hunt me down." Her voice cracked a bit as she wrapped her arms around her midsection. "She wants my own brother to kill me!"

Norman sighed. " **I'm so sorry. I didn't know he had the ink in him.** " He reached out and gently placed his hand on June's shoulder. " **I didn't think Linda could do somethin' like this.** " He turned his head towards the girls. " **We need ta get y'all to the exit.** "

June shook her head furiously. She just couldn't leave without trying to help her brother. She opened her mouth to say as much when a loud thump from down the hall silenced them both. They looked at each other before Norman quietly opened the door. He stuck his head out just enough to see what was going on. The projectionist froze when he saw a large creature tearing a door off the hinges further down the hall. " **W-What the hell is that!?** "

June poked her head out the door as well. She felt her stomach twist at the sight. Even though the figure in the hall was massive with claws and sharp teeth, the shape still vaguely resembled her brother. He looked more monstrous than he did in the sewers but June knew she was right. She grabbed Norman by the hand and pulled him back into the room, closing the door softly behind them.

"I-It's Henry! He's here…he-he's after me…" June covered her mouth with her hands and tried to steady her breathing.

" **Are you sure?** " Norman whispered. June nodded and her eyes darted over to her girls. She knew if Henry found her in here, he would kill everyone just to get to her. Either that or he would kill her in front of them. The thought of that made her heart wrench painfully. She was sure Linda would have given him an order like that. The woman wanted everyone to feel her pain. June needed to do something and quick.

" **Um, maybe we can hide you and the girls… No, there's no closets here and only one way in or out…** " Norman began to pace slightly. They were running out of time and options. He wasn't sure if he and Sammy could take him, but it might buy June and the kids some time to get away. He had no idea that June was planning something similar. A tug on her arm got his attention.

"Norman, listen. I need you to look after my girls!" She looked scared but determined. "It's me he's after. M-Maybe I can lead him away. Then I can find my way back here and you can take us to the exit." Norman tried to talk her out of it, telling her that they could find another way, but June told him there was no time. "Please! I need to do this." She let loose a shaky sigh. "I-I don't want the girls to see him like that." June sounded so heartbroken. Norman growled softly but agreed.

She rushed over to the couch. June took the girls into her arms and told them that they needed to stay here and to listen to Sammy and Norman. They will look after them until she got back. Beth and Sarah looked on the verge of tears but she reassured them that everything would be okay.

Sammy stood close to the girls and placed his large hands on their shoulders. It was to reassure them and to keep them from running after their mother as she headed for the door.

" **June**.". Norman grabbed her upper arm before she could reach the door. She tried to pull away but he held her tight. " **Look, when you leave this room, go left. You'll find an elevator. That should make it a little easier for you ta loose 'em.** " He reluctantly let her go and she thanked him. Norman didn't like this, but they didn't have time to form a better plan.

June opened the door slowly and peaked around the door frame. Henry was inspecting another room a few doors down. She slipped through the door and closed it as quietly as she could. June needed to get him to follow her. There was no telling what he might do if he found the kids and the other ink beings. She wasn't sure if he would leave them alone or not. She didn't want to take that chance.

June backed away from the room and down the hall as quietly as she could. She watched as Henry turned his head and his one visible eye landed on her. June didn't mean to, but she froze on the spot. His face was completely covered in ink. His glowing yellow eye was too wide and gaping mouth was full of too many sharp teeth. She was staring into the face of a monster, not her brother.

Henry turned his body and began stomping down the hall. June could feel the floor under her feet shudder with each step he took. Her brain was screaming for her to run, to move, to do ANYTHING but stand here! She was just too scared to move.

Henry growled as he stalked towards her. He ignored the other doors because his prey was in sight. He was approaching the break room when the door flew open. Norman stepped out in the hall and shined a bright light right into Henry's face. He roared and stumbled back as he tried to cover his eye with a raised arm.

" **RUN JUNE!** " June jumped at the sound of Norman's voice. She mentally shook herself as she turned on her heels and sprinted around the corner. The sounds of Henry's roars spurred her to move faster. She couldn't let herself get caught or it'll be over, for everyone.

Standing this close to Henry, Norman could understand June's apprehension. The ink covered man towered over him. The ink covered him like thick, padded armor. The projectionist doubted any attack he could mount would even hurt him. Norman quickly backed into the room when he heard a menacing growl and noticed the way Henry flexed his long claws. As soon as he slammed the door, huge claws raked across the top of the door and part of the doorframe.

" **Shit!** " Norman whispered as he backed away from the door. Henry had left four huge gashes in the door and took out part of the doorway. The little girls screamed and Norman found them hiding behind Sammy. Time seemed to stand still as Henry stood by the door. They could see his large yellow eye peering through the gash in the door. They all held their breath. There was a rumbling growl that shook the room, then Henry took off down the hall.

Norman's emotions were warring within him. On the one hand, he was relieved Henry didn't break the door down. On the other hand, he was worried because June was facing her brother alone so!she could keep the rest of them safe. It really bothered him that they couldn't do more to help.

His thoughts were interrupted by Alice touching his arm. She stared at the door before looking at him. Fear was written all over her face. "W-What the hell was that?" He just shook his head. He didn't want to say who it was for fear of frightening the kids even more. " **It was just another monster that roams the halls.** " Alice stared at him in disbelief but he ignored her. " **We're safe, for now.** "

Norman could hear a soft hiss coming from Sammy as he tried to calm the children down. He really hoped that June can shake her brother and get back here. These kids really needed her.

.

 **OoOoOoOoO**

 **.**

June's heart was thundering in her chest louder than the heavy footfalls chasing her. Norman brought her some precious time, but she knew Henry would catch up to her at any moment. June kept staring straight ahead as she searched for the elevator. She knew she would freeze if she looked back.

The floor under her feet shook more and more as Henry gained on her. June was starting to panic. She swore she could feel him breathing down her neck. She slipped on some ink as she skidded around another corner and managed to keep from falling. There, in the distance, was the elevator! Fear helped her put on a little extra speed as she ran for the open gate.

A few seconds later, June heard a loud thud as something ran into the corner she just left. There was a slight pause before the sound of heavy breathing and thundering footsteps came up behind her. June screamed and dove into the elevator car. She turned and hit a button that closed the gate. Just as it locked into place, Henry hit the gate, hard. So hard that it caused the elevator car to jolt and knocked June off her feet.

June sat there with her back pressed against the wall. She was staring up into a face that was familiar and yet frightening at the same time. Never in her wildest dreams did she ever think she'd be in a situation like this. Her own brother was staring down at her, growling, and with no recognition in his wide, yellow eye. His sharp claws were digging into the spaces of the gate. The metal groaned under his palms.

She stood up on shaky legs and moved a little closer to the gate. "Henry please." She pleaded, hoping that she could get through to him. "It's me, June-Bug, remember?" Henry stopped growling and tilted his head to the side. June's heart began to beat faster. She prayed that he finally recognized her. She came a little closer and reached out to him. He just stared at her, breathing so heavy, it blew her hair out of her face. June touched one of his large, ink covered fingers."

You remember me, don't you?" she sniffled and fought back tears. He grew very still and she thought she saw him smile. June's stomach dropped and her eyes grew wide when she heard a deep growl bubble up from Henry's throat. She backed up just as he let loose a deafening roar. Henry rattled the bars of the gate and June could see the metal bend and pop in certain spots. That's when she knew she needed to get out of there. If she stayed any longer, he'd tear her apart.

June darted forward and slammed her hand on a button. The elevator shuddered, then descended to the lower floors. She didn't know what floor she hit and she didn't care. She just needed to get away from her brother. That thought alone caused her heart to ache. She was afraid of him, her own brother! No matter how many times she told herself that it wasn't his fault, that Linda did something to him, it still hurt. She didn't know how to help him and it made her stomach twist that she was going trying to escape with her girls, leaving him behind. "Oh Henry." She sobbed. "I-I don't know what to do."

Her thought were interrupted when the elevator ground to a halt and the gate swung open. June took a few deep breaths and looked around. It seemed quiet, there was some ink on this floor, and the lights were very dim and flickered a bit. Maybe she could find a place to hide, wait for Henry to show up, then sneak past him and head back up. It seemed like a good a plan as any.

June was about to step off the elevator when she heard a loud crash from overhead. She looked up, but couldn't see anything. Then the elevator wrenched up so suddenly, June stumbled backwards. It happened again and she fell to the floor. The car was being pulled upwards. June began to panic and crawl across the floor. She needed to get out before it was too late. She managed to get half her body out when she realized her window of escape was growing smaller by the second.

With a scream and one good kick, she fell out of the elevator car and onto the inky floor before it could cut her in half. June landed on her right side, hard. It knocked the wind right out of her. She curled on her side and gripped her ribs with her left hand. If they weren't cracked, they were definitely bruised. Each breath she took hurt like hell and she bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out.

June knew she needed to keep moving but she just needed a moment to manage the pain. She could still hear the elevator scraping the sides of the shaft. Any moment now, Henry was going to find out she wasn't inside, and he'd come after her. She needed to get up and get moving. She gritted her teeth and rolled onto her back. She sat up slowly and nearly screamed at the burning pain in her side. It made it hard to take a deep breath. June reached back and grabbed the elevator's control box and pulled herself to her feet.

She wrapped her arm around her side and shuffled down the hall. Just as she made it to the corner, there was a loud roar, and a crash. June turned to see the elevator car rocketing down the shaft. A few seconds later, there was another crash, and the screech of twisting metal. She turned and moved as quickly as she could. He'd be here any moment.

* * *

The shaft echoed with a deep thumping noise. Dust and pieces of rubble cascaded down the empty shaft. Henry used his long arms and claws to scale down the elevator shaft. He reached out and hung from the top of the open gate. The ink covered man swung his body through the opening and landed on all fours. He eyed small foot prints through the ink that lead further down the hall. Henry growled and headed in that direction.

Henry followed the foot prints to a "Little Miracle Station" sitting in the corner. He looked through the slot, but it was empty. He grabbed the wooden box, dug his claws into it and tore it apart. He walked on, leaving the smashed box on the floor. That was one less place for June to hide in.

* * *

June thanked her lucky stars that she didn't try to hide in one of those wooden stalls. It seemed like a really bad idea to begin with so she kept moving. It probably wouldn't work on Henry anyway. The searchers and doll like creatures didn't seem particularly smart so she wasn't surprised that little trick worked on them. She wasn't sure why it worked on the other Bendy. June frowned at that. Maybe he was toying with her brother…

June cursed herself for letting her mind wander when she heard clicking and footsteps coming up behind her. She turned to see three of the toy creatures approaching her. They were groaning, clicking, and brandishing weapons.

June looked around and grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on: a rusted pipe leaning against the wall. She took a deep breath and swung at the group to keep them at bay. Every swing caused her muscles to spasm and a stabbing pain in her side. It made her eyes water but she refused to let them take her. The one with its head attached by a rope got too close and she hit it in the head. It's head swung around the pole in its back like a tetherball. The creatures wind milled its arms and stumbled down the hall. June would have found it funny if she didn't have two others trying to hurt her.

She barely managed to lift the pipe high enough to block a strike from the creature with the plunger leg. She couldn't avoid the punch to her side the one with the sewed up mouth delivered. June dropped the pipe as she curled to the side. Her ribs were screaming at her. She could barely catch her breath.

The one with the stitched up mouth noticed how distracted she was, ran up, and grabbed her arms. It pulled her arm behind her back and forced her to her knees. June grimaced at the pain shooting up her side. Her vision blurred and she could barely see the creature with the plunger leg standing in front of her. It yelled in her face and raised a broken pipe wrench over her head. June couldn't tell if her body was shaking from the pain or from the fact that she was about to get her head bashed in.

A deep growl from behind them caused everyone to freeze. The one with the plunger leg turned around just as something rolled past it. The object came to a stop by June's side. She blinked a few times and shuddered when it turned out to be the head of the one she hit earlier. A piece of rope was still attached to the back of its head.

The floor shook as a large figure stomped towards them. It was Henry. He had caught up to her. June's assessment of the doll creatures' intelligence was correct when the one holding her, let her go to join the one with the pipe wrench. They hissed and screeched at her brother as he got closer. Then they rushed him with weapon raised and arms swinging. June took that as her cue to leave. There was no way she was sticking around to watch them get torn apart. She winced as she scrambled to her feet and ran down the hall.

June turned the corner and ended up in a large room. There were pictures of objects on the walls, a dusty couch against the wall, wooden crates in the corner, and a small wooden table covered with a moth eaten cloth. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw another doorway across the room. It had wooden boards nailed across the entrance. She ran to it and began tugging on the boards. They looked old and rotten. She hoped she could dislodge some of them.

June pushed and kicked at the bottom part of the boards as she tried to make a gap big enough to squeeze through. Maybe the rest will slow Henry down enough for her to put some distance between them. The sounds of screeches, roars, and bodies hitting the walls made June shudder. It grew quiet save for heavy footfalls heading in her direction.

June's muscles wanted to seize up at the throbbing pain in her side, but she had to keep working. Her movements became more frantic as Henry approached the room. His footsteps were growing louder and she could hear his heavy breathing. June managed to kick out and break a few of the bottom boards and she wasted no time in dropping onto her belly and crawling under the gap.

She scurried under the boards as quickly as she could when the floor started to rumble around her. June pulled herself through and wobbly got to her feet when something heavy hit the boards behind her. June refused to look back as she took off running. She only made it a few feet when something wrapped around her foot and she fell to the floor. June cried out in pain from the jolt to her side and the tightening grip on her foot. She could feel her ankle twist and pop. Looking back, her heart nearly leapt into her throat. A huge, inky hand engulfed her foot and part of her lower leg.

She could see Henry staring at her through a gap in the upper part of the doorway. He tugged and June went sliding back towards him. She cried out and tried to grab onto something…anything! The pressure on her ankle and leg was excruciating and she just knew if he pulled her through that gap, she was dead.

As she was being dragged across the floor, June's fingers brushed against something cold and metallic. It was a large nail. It was long, a little crooked, and rusted, but it still had a sharp point. She grabbed it, turned onto her good side, and held the nail close to her chest so Henry couldn't see it. She didn't want to hurt him, but she had no choice!

June took a deep breath and whispered, "I'm so sorry…" before cocking her hand back and driving the long, rusty nail as far as she could into his hand. Henry let go of her leg and roared so loudly, it caused the walls to shake and June had to cover her ears.

Henry's roar echoed down the halls and could still be heard a few levels above and below them. Any creature who heard it ran for cover. None of twisted toons wanted to face the beast that made that sound.

There was one toon in particular that also feared that sound but not for the same reasons as the others.

* * *

Bendy didn't know how long he laid in the puddle of his own ink. The seal he was laying on robbed him of his strength and he passed out as soon as he felt Henry's presence through their bond. The little toon came to when he heard an rage filled howl of pain. " **HeNrY?** "

Bendy tried to move, but he could barely feel his own body. His arms and legs were completely gone and there was just his head and the lump of his body left. All of this might have been worrisome if not for the slew of negative emotions bombarding him at the moment. It was all a jumble, confusing mess that the toon couldn't cut through. Every time he tried to reach out to his friend, it felt like another presence was blocking him.

Bendy whined. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew it couldn't be good. The situation seemed so familiar. Then it hit him when he remembered what was in the glass jar that crazy lady was holding. An ink slug, just like the one that was inside him! She must have used one on Henry. The little toon growled and gritted his teeth when he remembered what the woman said as she stared at the jar: "He's going to find out what it's like to loose a loved one."

" **jUne!** " Bendy felt a pit form in his non-existent stomach. That crazy lady wanted Henry to kill his own sister? If that happened, he'd never forgive himself. The little toon needed to help his friend, but he couldn't break through the storm of emotions and the creature that was fueling it.

Bendy shut his eye tight and banged his head against the floor. He hated this. Feeling helpless. That-that WOMAN was going the destroy his family and their was nothing he could do about it! Tears ran down his cheek to mix with the pool of ink he was laying in.

The toon shook his head furiously. NO! He can't give up! Henry never gave up on him no matter how hopeless things looked. Now, it was his turn. He just needed to find…a way…to reach Henry…

Bendy's mind began to drift to the time where their bond was fresh and a lot was unknown to them. That's when he remembered the dreams. In their sleep, the bond would sometimes let them share dreams. In that state, they saw each other as they really were, emotions were stronger, and they couldn't hide anything from one another. Maybe, just maybe, if he could reach that dreamscape again, he could snap Henry out of it before it's too late.

There was a chance that, in his weakened state, he might not wake up. Bendy sighed and a sad smile spread across his face. He was saving his family. That's all that mattered.

He closed his eye and slowly his mind sank into unconsciousness.

* * *

June knew she was in big trouble as soon as she tried to stand up. Her ankle buckled when she put weight on it. She yelled out in pain. Her ankle was severely twisted, causing her foot to drag at an odd angle. Damnit, she didn't need this right now! She could already hear Henry tearing through the wooden boards blocking the doorway. She had to keep moving…

June found herself standing in a large storage area. There were wooden crates and barrels stacked in the corners. She could hear the clunks and whirls of machinery all around her. Fuse boxes lined the walls connected to giant gears and pistons. Why in the world would an animation studio need such industrial machinery? June didn't know and so she kept her distance.

There was a rusted metal door on the other side of the room. June prayed that it lead to a safer area, maybe another elevator or some stairs that go to the upper levels. She winced at the thought of dragging herself up a flight of stairs.

June made it about halfway across the room when something sharp cut across her arm and shoulder with so much force, she spun, lost her balance, and fell to the floor.

June's whole body was shaking. Her left shoulder and upper arm had three deep gashed torn through her blouse, flesh, and was bleeding heavily. The warm fluid ran down her limp arm and pooled onto the dingy wooden floor. She whimpered as she stared at the open wound. A deep growl caught her attention. June gasped as Henry loomed over her. The tips of his claws dripped with her blood. He just stood there and stared at her. His sharp teeth gleamed in the dim light as he panted heavily. The noise from the surrounding machinery covered up her brother's footfalls. She didn't hear him coming.

June's heart stuttered. There was no emotion on her brother's face. His wide eye bore into her unblinkingly. He flexed his huge claws and he seemed to be waiting for…something. She knew she couldn't run, that he had her cornered, but fear made her try to scoot away from him anyway.

Henry tilted his head to the side, then reached out and grabbed June by her midsection. He picked her up and brought her close as though to study her. She squirmed with her right arm pinned to her side while the other tried to pry his large fingers open. Henry growled and tightened his grip on her. June gasped. The pressure on her ribs caused her muscles to spasm painfully.

"Hen-ry…p-please…" June pleaded brokenly. His hold was so tight, she could barely breathe. She had to take short, shallow breaths and it was making her dizzy. June tried to reach out to him. Her arm shook from shock, pain, and blood lose, but she had to try to reach him. "You-you have…to remem-ber me…" her voice came out soft and wheezing.

Her fingers where inches away from his face when Henry huffed and squeezed June's body even tighter. She screamed silently as she felt her ribs pop. Her entire body spasm and she drew her arm back. June coughed and a slight taste of copper hit her tongue. Henry laid her on the floor and pinned her down with his large hand. This added even more pressure to her ribs. June's shallow breaths made the room tilt slightly. Darkness was eating away at the edges of her sight.

June blinked to try and clear her vision only to see her own brother hunched over her. His other hand hovered over her and he brandished sharp claws still stained with her blood. 'Oh Henry, I tried. I really tried.' Tears trickled down her cheeks. There was no way out of this for her. She stopped fighting with grim acceptance. June wasn't angry at her brother. She just felt really…sad. June just knew, he was going to blame himself for all of this. She sighed, closed her eyes, and waited.

Seconds ticked by and nothing happened. June took a chance and opened her eyes. Henry stood over her, frozen in place. She could see his eye twitch and his arm shake as though something was holding him back. June was grateful that her brother wasn't running her through with his claws, but the pressure on her chest made it really hard to breathe. She was growing woozy from lack of oxygen and blood loss. Her eyelids were growing heavy and she didn't have the strength to keep them open anymore. "H-Hen…ry…" June wheezed out before the darkness dragged her down.

.

 ** _-o-o-o-o-o-_**

 ** _._**

 _The bliss he felt at this moment was the kind of peace that he hadn't experience in a long time. Something was pressed against him and the only sound he heard was the soft whisper of his sister's voice in his ears. Not since the war had he been so calm. Henry had no desire to leave this place._

 _The slug had the man at its mercy. His sister put up quite a fight but the game is over. Once it forced Henry to kill her, it'll release his consciousness just long enough to let him see her dead body. It'll let him wallow in despair, take back control, and head back to the master. Once she see what it's done, she'll reward it by setting its soul free from this hellish place. Yes, it'll finally gain its freedom!_

 _The wretched soul stopped whispering when it noticed the atmosphere in the dream change. Everything seemed the same but something felt different. There was another presence in the dreamscape. The slug hissed sharply. It saw nothing but empty space all around them but it was sure someone else was out there._

 _All of a sudden, a deafening roar echoed throughout the empty dreamscape. The force of it caused the ink to ripple like tiny waves in a vast ocean. The ink slug didn't know what it was but it seemed to stir Henry from his deep slumber. No, it couldn't allow this to happen. If Henry woke up now, the whole plan would be ruined. It would remain trapped in this inky hell with all the other forgotten souls._

 _The ink slug slithered away from Henry and the tree he had him pinned against to investigate further. It was confident it could take whoever trespassed within the man's mind. It would deal with them, then finish the task at hand._

 _The ripples in the surrounding ink grew more severe as a deep, guttural growl reverberated through the area. The ink suddenly rose up around the slug's pulsating body as a large, clawed hand grabbed it. The ink slug screeched as it was lifted higher and higher into the air. A large, muscular body began to form under the arm that held it. Soon it was face to face with a snarling demon that towered over everything in the dreamscape. The demon had large curving horns and a mouth full of sharp teeth. It stared at the slug with one visible, glowing eye._

 _" **YOU DON'T BELONG HERE!"** The demon's voice boomed across the dreamscape. The slug hissed and squirmed around in his large claws. The demon snarled and squeezed his hand until the slug burst like a balloon full of ink._

 _Henry stirred. That voice seemed so familiar. He fought to open his eyes. He looked up and saw a welcomed sight. It was Bendy and he was in his nightmare form. "B-Bendy?" The towering demon turned towards him. He knelt down and offered Henry his large hand._

 _Henry wasn't sure what was going on but he learned not to question it when Bendy appeared in his dreams. It often meant the toon had something really important to say. He got to his feet and stumbled over to Bendy's waiting hand. The ink demon held the man gently as he lifted him up._

 _Henry knew something was wrong by the sad smile that graced his friend's face. He reached out and touched Bendy's cheek. The toon demon sighed and brought Henry close enough so that their forehead's touched._

 _"Bendy? What-What's wrong bud?" Fear laced through Henry's very being. It took a long time for his friend to answer him._

 _" **Henry…you need to wake up**." Henry was startled by the pleading tone in the demon's deep voice. " **You need to save her!** "_

 _Henry was confused. He didn't know what Bendy was talking about. "Bud? I-I don't understand…"_

 _Bendy looked angry and began to growl. It shook Henry to his very core. " **Henry, WAKE UP!"** Bendy voice boomed causing the man to shudder. The demon's sharp fangs snapped just inches from Henry's face. " **NOW!** "_

 _Cracks of light began to form all around him. The peaceful dream was shattered into thousands of pieces and Henry found himself falling into the abyss. He screamed as his body was suddenly engulfed in blinding light._

 _._

 ** _-o-o-o-o-o-_**

 ** _._**

Henry's body shuddered violently then went completely limp. The ink on the back of his neck bubbled as something pushes its way through the thick, padded like covering. The ink slug emerged, screeching and writhing as it hit the floor. Its body began to disintegrate. It couldn't believe it got expelled from a dreamscape it created! It had never encountered another presence that powerful before save for the ink demon himself. Whoever that was, it wasn't the one that trapped the rest of the souls in the ink.

The slug's last though before its soul returned to the others, was that at least it completed its mission.

* * *

Henry's body jolted and he took a wet, shuddered breath. He began to pant heavily. Something was wrong. His body felt too heavy and almost suffocating. His mind was fuzzy like it was full of cotton. Looking around, he didn't know where he was or how he even got here. Henry growled and shook his head out of growing frustration.

Henry tried to run his fingers through his hair out of habit, but startled when he got a good look at his hand. It was huge, encased in a thick layer of ink, and clawed. 'W-What's going on?!' he thought as he turned his hand over and stared at a rather large nail sticking out of it. Panic caused his chest to tighten. Henry didn't remember a thing and was worried he might have blacked out and done something terrible.

 _'Okay, okay, I just need to calm down.'_ Henry winced at the sting in his hand. He wasn't sure how it got there. Just staring at it made a pit form in his stomach. ' _Alright, I need to remember…'_ He closed his eye as he tried to picture what happened after he fought the ink demon. ' _The fight with the ink demon…being dragged to an office…Linda and…'_

Henry's thoughts ground to a halt when he noticed the tang of blood in the air. A whine bubbled up his throat when he opened his eye. He could feel the red, sticky liquid on his hand. His body began to shake. He lifted his claw and watched the blood dripped between his fingers and onto the floor. The drops joined a pool that was forming under a body at his feet. His eye grew incredibly wide. Henry prayed that he was seeing things, that he was still in a haze thanks to the ink covering his body. He wanted this to be a nightmare that he'll wake up from any moment now. He reached out a shaky hand to her _. 'J-Juney?!'_

For a moment, Henry stood there and shook his head. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. _'No No! I-I…but…I didn't…'_ It was real, all of it, REAL! His heart felt like it would shatter at the sight before him. Henry fell to his knees and carefully slid his hands under her limp body.

" **JuUuUunE?** " Henry winced at the sound of his own voice. Like a drowning man trying to scream under water. He was too distraught to regain his normal form. He cradled her carefully in his massive hands. Henry shook her lightly. " **JuuUnney….pLeeEaaSe…** " he pleaded. June was like a ragdoll in his massive hands. Henry shook her again and still no response.

The gashes on her shoulder and arm looked deep as it soaked the upper part of her blouse with blood. Even if he didn't remember what happened, he knew he did this…all of this. She just-just wanted to help him. June didn't want him to face the dangers of the Studio alone again. She didn't want him to disappear from her life, always worried that something happened to him.

Henry never wanted this! He tried to keep the Studio from corrupting his family's lives. He wanted to keep his distance so they wouldn't be in danger. He promised! He-He promised… An image of their father flashed in his mind. It flashed back to the promise Henry made on the man's deathbed. He promised that he would always look after his sister…keep her safe…

" **JuuUnE…** " Henry pulled her body close to his chest. He curled around her protectively. His body shook as he sobbed violently. The ink on his back boiled and rose so high it licked at the ceiling. Henry placed two fingers against the back of June's head, tilting it enough so that he could rest his forehead against her own. " **I'mm soOo SoOoorRY.** "

It wasn't enough! He knew it wasn't enough. Lose, grief, and anger swirled in his mind and heart like a hurricane. It was tearing down his sanity bit by bit to the point where he couldn't hold it in any longer.

Henry threw his head back and wailed. The walls around him shook as dust rained down on him. His wails grew louder and more pained as the enormity of what he had done came crashing down on him. He had taken a mother away from her children… a wife away from her husband… a sister away from her brother…

Henry's howls of anguish could be heard throughout the Studio. The sound gave any creature that was roaming the halls pause. Instincts made them weary and none wanted to approach the one who made that sound.

* * *

Linda leaned against the open doorway to her office. Earlier, she watched Henry's merry little romp through the halls of the Studio. She had to admit, June made it a lot farther than she thought. Linda got a little worried when she lost track of them. There weren't cameras in every room. They were mostly near the elevator stop on each floor, certain rooms, and halls here and there.

She scrolled through the camera feeds for a few minutes before giving up. Linda figured there was nothing she could do but sit there patiently and wait for her plan to play out.

Soon her patience was rewarded when she heard the first of many painful screams coming from down below. Linda knew it wasn't the roars of a mindless beast, but the anguished cries of someone who has lost the one closest to them. And she should know. It was the same sound she made she found out her brother was dead! It's the cries that comes from deep within someone's broken soul.

So now, she stood in the doorway with her eyes closed and a soft smile on her face. Linda had waited a long time to hear something as sweet as this and it was well worth the wait. June pointed out that this wouldn't bring her brother back. She wasn't stupid. Oh course she knew it wouldn't bring her Jojo back, but damn it all if it didn't feel good to have someone suffer as much as she had.

As the wails continued to echo down the halls, Linda returned to the back of the office. Soon the slug will gain control of Henry and bring him back. Her one regret was that she couldn't see him suffer when he realized he took his own sister's life. She was fine with that. She had all the time in the world to remind him and watch him wallow in his own misery.


	5. Take A Breath

**A/N:** This story is separate from my Slice of Life stories. This story picks up right where "All These Shadows Keep Closing In..." left off. If you haven't read that one yet, please do. It explains a lot. It's based on the ink! Henry stories and artwork done by shinyzango and themarginalartist on tumblr.

 **Disclaimer:** Bendy and the Ink Machine is owned by TheMeatly. I only own my Ocs.

 **.**

 **We Will Face The Darkness, Together.**

 **Part 5**

 **.**

Jason jolted. A strange scream roused him from his forced unconsciousness. The wail was so full of pain, he swore he could feel it himself. It left him feeling shaken as he tried to clear the fuzziness in his head.

He blinked and looked around the room he was in. He was sitting on a dusty floor, it was dimly lit, and kind of small. There were wooden barrels in the corners and a large crate sitting a few feet away from him. Jason found it odd that his barbed wire covered bat was laying on top of it. He thought sure that whatever knocked him out would have thrown it away.

Jason tried to move his arms only to realize they were tied behind his back and around a rough, square pole. He sighed, "Great, just great!" He leaned forward and twisted his wrists. The rope was tied rather tight. Jason growled and changed tactics. He rubbed the rope against the edge of the pole. Doing this hurt his shoulders but he was slowly cutting through his binds.

There was a snap and Jason could finally free his arms. It took him a few minutes but he managed to get the rope off his sore wrists. He stood up, rotated his shoulders to loosen them up, and grabbed his bat. Jason poked his head out into the dimly lit hallway.

It was quiet, too quiet. Ink was running down the walls and across the floor. The lights flickered, casting shadows in the corners. Jason sighed and stepped out. There was no point in just standing there. He needed to find his family and get the hell out of this place. He hoped Henry was alright. The last thing he remember was getting dragged away as the ink demon got closer.

Jason hefted the bat in his hands and made his way down the hall. The only sounds he could hear was the dripping of ink and his own footsteps. It was putting him on edge.

It didn't take long for him to run into a searcher. He had no problem taking care of it, but then another emerged from the puddles. Then another and another. Soon he was being outnumbered by the moaning creatures. Jason knew when it was time to cut and run. He turned on his heels and ran for it.

The hall filled with the sounds of moans and bodies sliding across the floor. Jason didn't want to panic but it was hard when he had an army of half formed creatures chasing him. It didn't help that he didn't know where he was going! The Studio was built like a maze.

Whenever Jason tried to turn down a certain hall, it was either blocked with debris or shadowy ink was crawling across the walls. He could feel a presence down those halls even though he couldn't see anything. If there was something more dangerous than the searchers chasing him, he wanted to avoid getting trapped at all cost. What really surprised him was how tenacious the searchers were. They followed him through rooms and even up stairs. Jason wasn't sure how long he could keep doing this. He could feel himself growing tired and running out of space.

Jason found himself running down a long hallway with doors on either side of him. One by one, each door he tried was locked. The moans were growing louder and he knew he was running out of time. After the third door, he almost gave up when the next one finally opened. Jason rushed in and closed the door as quietly as he could. He prayed that he had enough of a head start that the searchers didn't see him enter the room. He leaned against the door and waited.

He could hear the moans of the searchers as they dragged themselves down the hall. Jason held his breath and gripped the doorknob as the creatures seemed to stop at the door. They began to rattle and scratch at the it. He held his bat in one hand as he tried to hold the door closed in the other. Jason didn't like his odds but he wasn't going down without a fight.

He froze when a loud screech came from the other side of the door. Jason heard strange popping noises, then splashing against the door before it went quiet. He backed away and held his bat up, ready to take on anything that burst into the room. He startled when he stepped into something wet.

Jason whirled around to find a puddle of ink at his feet. He raised the bat above his head as he waited for a searcher or something to rise up from the pool, but nothing happened. In fact, there seemed to be something half submerged in the middle of it. He crept closer to get a better look at the center of the puddle.

Jason thought his heart had stopped. The room may have been dimly lit but he could still see half of a stark white face. The normally bright smile was turned down into a frown and his black pie cut eyes were closed. Besides his head, there was a lump of his body…and that's it. The sight of it all made Jason fall to his knees.

Jason laid his bat on the floor. "B-Bendy?" He reached out with a shaky hand to touch the side of the toon's face. Bendy wasn't as warm as a human, but he felt down right freezing now. Not only that, but he didn't feel as solid as he normally did. When Jason pulled his hand away, it was covered in ink. "C'mon partner….wake up! Please…wake up…" The toon was too still and it scared him. He started to panic. He wanted to scoop the little toon up in his arms, but there wasn't enough for him to grab onto.

Jason sighed and looked down at the floor when he notices a faint violet glow from under the ink. Looking closely, he could see strange lines drawn around the toon's body. It seemed to create a pattern but Jason couldn't make it out. Bendy's ink had spread out, covering most of the symbol, and left a few outer lines exposed.

"Aww geez, I don't know anything about this witchcraft stuff." Jason rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to make heads or tails of what he was looking at. "Maybe-maybe this thing is messing ya up?" He scanned the room and saw a desk covered in papers across from him. Jason walked around the ink gingerly and made his way to the desk.

There were a few papers scattered across its wooden surface. The papers were covered in symbols and written in a language he didn't understand. This wasn't helping him so he decided to check the drawers. He found thin paint brushes, pens, and several bottles of what appeared to be ink. He thought it was odd that they had labels with the Skull and Crossbones on them. Jason shook his head and left the ink alone.

He riffled through another drawer that was full of papers. All the way in the back was another bottle of fluid. On closer inspection, the label said "Acetone". Jason turned the bottle over and found that the chemical was good for thinning or removing ink. He looked at the glowing lines then back at the bottle. Maybe if he could remove some of the lines, the symbol will stop glowing. "It's worth a shot…"

Jason grabbed a few papers off the desk and walked back to the symbol. He wanted to find some lines Bendy's ink wasn't touching. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt the toon anymore than he already was. Jason knelt down near an exposed part of the symbol and started pouring the acetone on it. Within a few seconds, the ink began to sizzle, and he used the papers to wipe the lines away. There was a crackle of energy and flash of light. The faint glow faded until the symbol went completely dark.

Jason stood up straight, stared down at Bendy's melted body, and waited. "C'mon partner, c'mon!" His hand balled into a shaky fist. "Please, Bendy… We all need to make it out of this hellhole together….please." He hoped he wasn't too late. The little toon may not have been apart of his family for very long, but they all grew to care for him.

Jason tilted his head when he noticed the pool of ink ripple. The outer edges were being drawn slowly to the center. He sat cross legged on the floor and watched in amazement as the little toon's body reformed itself.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he reached out and touched Bendy's cheek. Jason smiled. The toon felt a little warmer now. "That's it partner, you can do it!" He just prayed the little toon will be alright after all of this.

.

 **OoOoOoOoO**

 **.**

He knew he needed to leave this room, but he just couldn't. Guilt and loss kept him rooted to that spot. Henry was on his knees, cradling his sister in his massive hands. His ink covered body was curled around her. His forehead was pressed against hers as his own inky tears dripped down onto her pale face.

How was he going to face Jason or the girls? How was he going to tell them that he was the one that took her life? That out of all the monsters that roamed this damned place, he was the one she needed to be afraid of! That last though caused a fresh wave of sobs to wrack his large frame.

The one thing Henry knew he could do was find everyone and get them out. Once that happened, he'd take Bendy and leave. He was sure Jason wouldn't want a monster like him around. He sure as hell couldn't look his nieces in the eyes after this. His heart felt heavy when he thought about running away.

A soft growl crept up his throat. Even in death Joey managed to ruin his life! This cursed studio took everything from him. His chest burned with anger. Henry gripped June's body even tighter. Once he got his family out and safely away, he would return. He'll tear these rotten walls down! If anything got in his way, he'll tear them apart too! He'll set a fire so massive, that nothing will be left but ash!

Henry gasped when something brushed against his cheek. He grimaced and opened his eye slowly. There, staring up at him, was June! Her hand shook terribly as she stroked his cheek. Her eyes were the barest of slits and her mouth was cast in a thin, straight line. "H-Hen-ry…" Her voice was but a whisper, but it was the most beautiful sound he ever heard.

" **JuuUunnEy?** " He blinked a few times just to make sure he wasn't seeing things. She was alive! Henry loosened his grip when he noticed the short breaths she was taking. June pulled her hand away from his cheek and just stared at him. She seemed to be searching his face for…something. It hurt Henry to see such a look of fear and apprehension in her eyes.

"H-Henry?" she swallowed hard. "Is it r-really you?" That one quietly asked question was like a punch to the gut. His massive hands shook as his claws curled around her. He stopped when he heard a broken whimper from June and she stiffened against him. Henry realized he was scaring her. That was the last thing he wanted.

" **YeAh, JuuUNe-bUuG. It'S meeEe**." June reached out again and her fingers brushed just under his eye. Henry stood perfectly still as she studied his face. He watched as her fear morphed into relief and tears glistened in her eyes.

"Your eye! It's-" June sniffled as the tears rolled down her cheeks. "I- you-you remember me!?" She started to cry and he couldn't help it, he held her close. Even when they were growing up, he hated to see her cry. He'd wrap his arms around her and hold her until she got it all out of her system. He was more than willing to do this for her again.

Henry wasn't sure how long he held June like this, but he did notice how quiet she got. He pulled away carefully. Her eyes were closed and she was taking short breaths. June was hurt and he needed to do something. She was too pale thanks to the gashes on her arm and other injuries she may have sustained.

Henry took a quick look around the room. There was nothing here he could use. He got to his feet and carried her back the way he came. Henry cringed at the trail of blood on the floor and the broken boards scattered about. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember what happened. The ache in his heart told him he did this. He did this…

He walked into the room and spotted a couch against the wall. Henry approached it and laid his sister down as gently as he could. She moaned and gripped her side weakly. Must be another injury to add to whatever else he did to her. That thought made his blood run as cold as the ink that covered his body.

Henry staggered back a few feet and fell to his hands and knees. Despair weighed heavily on his shoulders but he needed to regain control of himself. He fought the sob that crawled up his throat and concentrated on his breathing. He closed his eye and willed the ink to leave his body. Slowly, every so slowly, the thick ink began to sloth off. Huge chucks fell to the floor with a loud splashing sound. Henry could feel himself physically growing lighter, but the heaviness in his heart was still there.

After a few moments, Henry felt less encumbered by the ink. He stood up and inspected himself. There was still ink clinging from his forearms down to his hands and he could still feel the weight of it on his lower legs and feet. Running his tongue across his teeth, he could still feel fangs. Henry knew that this was as close to normal as he was going to get right now. He won't be completely calm until June was alright and he got everyone out of the Studio.

Henry sighed and shook his head. He managed to pull the rusty nail out of his hand. It wasn't long enough to penetrate all the way through to the flesh of his hand. It was enough to hurt. Henry had a sneaking suspicion that his sister might have had something to do with this. Probably trying to defend herself from him. It hurt that he pushed her that far.

He wasn't sure if June will ever forgive him. Lord knows he didn't deserve it! One thing's for sure, he's getting them all out of here!

He spotted a table on the other side of the room. Henry examined a white, dusty cloth that was covering it. It seemed clean enough so he took it. He walked over to the couch with the cloth bundled under his arm. June's face was scrunched up and she moaned softly. Henry reached out and touched her forehead.

June felt something cool pressed against her face. Her eyes fluttered open and she found Henry standing over her. Most of the ink was gone, but his eyes weren't normal. Soft green glowing orbs swam in a sea of black. She definitely preferred this over that harsh yellow glow from earlier. Even the fangs that poked through his lips didn't bother her. No, what bothered her was the way he was looking at her. His mouth was set in a thin, straight line and eyes scanned over her, full of worry. June knew exactly what was going through his mind.

" **Alright Juney, let me bandage your shoulder. Can you sit up?** " His voice was deeper than usual, but not menacing. June looked up at him a little unsure. She took a deep breath and tried to push herself into a sitting position. Pain lanced up her side causing her body to spasm. June yelled out and would have collapsed against the couch if Henry hadn't wrapped his arm around her back. " **Shit! I gotcha Juney.** " His cool, ink covered hand was soothing against her side. It took a few deep breaths before she could tell him that she was fine. Of course, he didn't believe her.

Henry sat behind her to give her support. He asked her what was hurting her and June pointed to her side. "I-I think it's m-my ribs." She whispered. His hand shook as he lifted the hem of her shirt. It must have looked bad because he started to curse again. June whimpered then relaxed minutely as he ran his fingers against her side. Henry's cool touch was like a boon to the sharp pain that shortened each breath she took.

" **Damnit! I'm not too sure, but from the look of this dark bruise, you might have a few cracked ribs.** " ' _or worse_.' He thought. June couldn't see his face because he was sitting behind her, but she could hear the deep growl that emanated from him. It sent a shiver up her spine. It sounded barely human and she flashed back to the elevator. He must have noticed her reaction because he stopped suddenly. " **Sorry**."

It was tough, but Henry helped June take her blouse off. He tore the table cloth into strips. He balled some of it up to clean the blood around her shoulder wound. Once he was satisfied, Henry used some more strips to wrap around her shoulder and arm like a bandage. Then he carefully wrapped the cloth around her midsection. He knew it would hurt, but he needed to make it good and tight.

" **You're doing good sis. I-I'm almost done. Just h-hang in there.** " He said in a soothing tone. There wasn't much he could do for her ribs. All he could do was stabilize it. She's definitely going to the hospital after they got out of here. When he was done, he wrapped his arms around her, and let June lean against him. Henry held her as her body shook from the strain.

After awhile, June's body grew still and she wiped the tears from her eyes. She apologized but Henry quickly told her that it was alright. " **Are you hurt anywhere else?** " June swallowed heavily and nodded. "M-My ankle…" There was a throbbing ache there and it laid to the side awkwardly. It didn't feel broken, but it was definitely twisted.

Henry helped June lean back against the arm of the couch. He made sure she was comfortable before checking her ankle. Henry wasn't a medic but even he could tell June's ankle must be hurting like hell.

" **Hang in there sis, I'll be right back.** " Henry rushed off to the doorway with the broken boards. He found some pieces that were small enough for his needs and he returned to the couch. Henry gingerly lifted her leg and sat down on the end of the couch. June hissed in pain and he quickly apologized. He laid her foot on his lap so he could get a better look at it.

Henry frowned and shook his head. Part of her lower leg, ankle, and foot seemed to be covered in ink. He took some of the cloth and wiped away the dark liquid. By the time Henry was done, he thought his heart had stopped.

What he thought was just ink covering his sister's leg was a massive blue-black bruise. He grimaced when he noticed the bruise took the form of large fingers wrapped around her leg and foot. Said foot was tilted at a painful angle and her poor ankle was swollen. Henry took a shaky breath. He needs to straighten her foot then stabilize it with the small wooden boards he scavenged and cloth strips. It was going to hurt, a lot. It would be a temporary fix until they could get out of here, but it didn't change the fact that he'd have to hurt her, again.

" **Sis…** " Henry sighed and looked over at June. She stared back at him with concern. He was surprised to see no fear or anger there. That might change soon. " **I-I need to straighten your foot out. It's going to hurt, but I'll try to make it quick, okay?** " She bit her bottom lip as she closed her eyes. Henry could see the indecision written all over her face. He didn't want to do this but it had to be done to keep the injury from getting worse.

"O-Okay…" June opened her eyes and stared at him with grim determination…and trust. He shuddered internally. She still trusted him, even after everything he did? Sure, he didn't remember what he did, but the evidence was staring him right in the face! The tightness in his chest reminded him that he almost killed her.

Henry turned away. He couldn't look into her eyes anymore. He lowered his head and got to work. He grip her foot in his ink covered hands, counted to three, and pulled until it was lined up right. His shoulders hunched at the scream that came from his sister. Henry could hear her sobbing and all he could do was whisper apologies as he created a makeshift splint for her foot and ankle. By the time he finished tying the strips of cloth around the splint to secure it in place, June's sobs had died down to soft whimpers.

She knew it would hurt. She thought she was prepared for whatever Henry was about to do. June was wrong. She didn't mean to yell out but the pain coursed up her leg so fast that she couldn't think straight. Even through the tear she didn't miss his reaction. The way he refused to look at her as he mumbled a bunch of "Sorries" or the way his hands shook as he worked. Henry was doing exactly what she was afraid he would do. He was blaming himself.

June wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. She needed to pull herself together. She noticed the way he kept staring at her ankle and leg. She could see the scowl forming on his face the longer he dwelled on what happened. He was piecing things together and growing more dower because of it. June needed to set things straight before his thoughts sunk even lower.

So consumed by his own thoughts, Henry didn't notice June struggle to sit up. He ran his hand along the large, finger shaped bruises on her leg. He must have grabbed her really hard to make a mark like this….hard enough to twist her ankle. He couldn't stop the growl that clawed its way up his throat.

Henry froze when June reached out and touched his upper arm. She grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and tugged weakly. He covered his face with his hands and shook his head. He couldn't do this. The fact that he was the cause of it all made him feel lower than dirt. What if, what if he blackout again? June would be in terrible danger by just being around him! ' _Oh no no no…'_

"H-Henry? Henry!" He snapped out of his descending thoughts when he felt arms wrap around him. June. She managed to slip her leg off his lap and pressed herself against him. Her body shook with the effort, but she didn't let him go. "Breathe Henry. Breathe." He didn't realize that he was hyperventilating until he felt June's small hand rubbing his back.

She was trying to calm him down and that made him feel even worse. After everything he did to her, she was still trying to help him. Henry never wanted his sister to be afraid of him and yet, that might be the only thing that'll keep her safe. He doesn't want to distance himself from his family again, but that might be the only way to keep from hurting them. The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he got.

" **Juney…I-I just can't…you-you don't understand!** " Henry's voice was broken and muffled. He couldn't voice what he was feeling at the moment and June must have known because she hushed him. She asked him not to speak and to concentrate on his breathing. He did as she asked, but he didn't miss the short breaths she took or the soft hiss of pain she made every once and awhile. He should be looking after her, not the other way around.

When June stopped hugging him only to grip his wrists, he refused to look at her. His face was still buried in his hands. He felt like such a failure. He couldn't protect his family from this place, from himself. He was no better than the creatures that roam these halls!

"Henry, look at me." He shook his head. June sighed and tugged on his wrists gently. "Henry, please." It was the soft 'please' that did him in. Henry's shoulders sagged and he slowly lowered his hands from his face. He hunched over with his hands resting in his lap. He turned to see his sister staring at him.

June's eyes were red and puffy. Her skin was really pale and she looked very tired. There were streams of ink in her hair and some of it ran down her cheeks. What really made Henry's chest tighten was the sad smile that graced her face. There was no anger like he expected and he didn't understand.

"This wasn't your fault." That one statement sent his mind reeling. How could she say something like that? Just look at her! Hell, he had her blood on his hands! " **June-** " she raised her hand, cutting him off.

"What's the last thing...you remember?" Henry stared down at the floor. He told her that he fought with 'Bendy' and lost. That he was dragged to an office where she was being held. He was surprised to see Linda after all these years. She was yelling at him about Joey, and then…he blacked out. Henry couldn't recall much after that. He came to, holding June in his hands, bloodied, and he thought she was dead. The image of that made his hands shake. She reached out and slipped her small hand into his larger, ink covered one.

"Linda. She had one of those...ink slugs." June took a deep, shaky breath. The throb in her side made it hard to talk, but she needed to tell him. "She…used it on you. Controlled you." Henry looked confused. The Linda he knew was sweet and kind. He couldn't imagine her doing something like this. " **I-I don't understand…** "

June sighed and stared down at their hands. She knew her brother loved that woman once, but she changed. Hate and her need for revenge had twisted her heart. "She b-blames you…for Joey's death." June grimaced. "Wanted you…to know…what it's like…to loose a loved one…"

She felt more than heard the growl that came from her brother. She didn't have to look at him to know he was getting angry. June flinched when his fingers grew into thick claws. She refused to let go and she watched as his large fingers engulfed her hand. His claws shook slightly, but he held her hand in a protective manner. As angry as he was, he still didn't hurt her. How could he ever think he'd hurt her on purpose.

"See, this wasn't…your fault." June looked up at him and gave him a watery smile. "I trust…you. And…I trust Bendy. I didn't understand before…with the girls. But…I do now." At the time, it was hard for her to believe that something like a slug could turn that little toon against her family. But now, she saw first hand what one could do. She owed Bendy a hug the next time she saw him.

Henry's eyes grew wide. The little toon told him what it was like the night he chased the girls out into the woods. Bendy said it felt like his mind was in a haze, like a dream, but he was awake. A dream… A dream! It was still fuzzy, but Henry remembered waking up from a strange dream. A dream with Bendy in it.

" **Bendy**." He was so wrapped up in his own guilt, he hadn't noticed how quiet the bond was. Henry couldn't feel anything from his friend and that scared him. He closed his eyes and concentrated. " **C'mon bud, where are you?** "

.

 **OoOoOoOoO**

 **.**

Man, his head felt fuzzy. The little toon didn't know where he was or what was going on. Last he remembered, he was alone in a room, melting into a puddle of ink. The loss of his arms and legs was slow and numbing. He was alone, weak, and afraid. The bond he had with Henry was muddled and he knew his friend was in danger. Being stuck on this darn seal was frustrating and maddening. The toon wanted to get out of this room and find his family, but he couldn't. He was too weak and slowly falling apart. In the end, he used the last of his energy to hopefully help Henry. If his existence ended after that and he helped them in some way, then he was fine with that…

So, why did he feel so warm? Not just warm, but it felt like something was wrapped around him. Bendy could even feel his arms and legs again, even if it was hard to move. His head was pressed against something firm and soft at the same time. To say his fuzzy mind was a little confused was an understatement. There was something else that got his attention. A sound. At first, it was strange, but the longer he listened, the more he remembered…

 ***Ba-dum, ba-dum***

 _'Wait, I know what that is! I think.'_

 ***Ba-dum, ba-dum***

 _'I've heard this before…'_

 ***Ba-dum, ba-dum***

' _Henry! I-I heard this from him. His heartbeat!'_ Bendy began to squirm weakly. Henry must have found him! He needed to open his eyes. He needed to see his friend's face, to know that he was alright.

"Bendy? Bendy! Oh thank god you're okay." The little toon froze. That wasn't Henry's voice, but it did sound familiar.

"C'mon partner, open your eyes!" Partner? The little toon fought to open his eyes, but his lids felt so heavy. He gasps when a warm hand pressed against his cheek. "You can do it!"

Bendy groaned and finally managed to open his eyes. There, staring down at him with a huge grin on his face, was the last person he expected. "U-Uncle Jay?" Jason's smile grew wider and he chuckled. He pulled the toon closer to his chest. It took Bendy a moment to realize he was being hugged.

"Man, you had me so worried! I thought I lost you." Bendy couldn't believe what he was hearing. Jason was worried about him? Jason saved him…

The little toon's features seemed to crumble as inky tears rolled down his cheeks. He pressed his face into the man's chest and sobbed softly. This caught Jason by surprise but he didn't hesitate to hug the living toon tighter.

"Uncle Jay! It's-It's you… You came for me! I was all alone and-and I thought… I didn't think anyone would…" Jason held Bendy and listened as his words came out sad and broken. At first he was confused as to what the toon was trying to say, but the longer he listened, the more he realized… ' _Did he think we would leave him here? That we wouldn't come looking for him?'_ Jason thought. Why would he think something like that?

"Bendy." Jason placed his hand on the back of the toon's head to get his attention. Bendy looked up and blinked his pie cut eyes at him. "Of course we'd come for you. Partner, once we find everyone, we're getting out of this studio, together."

The toon's eyes grew wide and he was at a loss for words. He knew Henry would do whatever it took to save him and vise versa. They had been through so much together. They always had each other's back. It never occurred to him that someone other than his best friend would feel the same. Especially after the incident with the girls.

Jason noticed the confusion on the little toon's face. He chuckled and ruffled his fingers between Bendy's horns. "Hey, we're family. We're not gonna leave anyone behind."

Family. Bendy had heard that word thrown around a lot in the past few weeks. He believed Henry when he said it. That man risked his life it get them both out of the Studio. They had a bond! June, the girls, and Jason…with them, he thought it was just words. A nice thought for sure, but when things go wrong, they'd treat him like a stranger. Turn their backs on him. He was prepared for that. Sure it would hurt. Bendy really cared for them and wanted to be apart of their family, but people often said things they didn't mean. The fact that Jason was sitting on the floor with him in his arms, made the little toon rethink everything.

"Uncle Jay! I-I…you…" Bendy knew he was stuttering. He took a few deep breaths and tried again. "Thanks, Uncle Jay."

Jason reached out and wiped a few stray tears from the toon's cheek. "You're welcome, partner."

Bendy sighed and rested his head against the man's chest. This was the first time he ever felt safe with anyone other than Henry… Henry! Now that his head was clear, he could feel a nudge at their bond. It was incessant and he could sense a great deal of worry from the other end. The toon was too weak to project his feelings before, he thought he was strong enough now. He flooded the bond with happiness and Henry answered him with relief. There was a tinge of guilt and pain mixed in. It made the toon wonder if he was too late to help him earlier.

"Hey Bendy, you okay?"

"Huh?"

"You spaced out on me."

"Oh." The little toon chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I-I'm fine! Sorry about that." Jason smiled.

"Think you're strong enough to stand on your own?" Bendy looked down at his legs. He wiggled his feet. They still felt a little heavy but at least he could move them. The toon slid off of Jason's lap and stood up. His legs wobbled a bit and it caused him to stumble, but Jason caught him before he could fall. He helped the little toon stand but it was obvious he wasn't ready to walk.

"Hmm, tell ya what, let's try this." Jason shifted his position so that he was kneeling with his back to Bendy. He held his arm behind his back and motioned for the little toon to climb on. The toon hesitated for a moment before he wrapped his arms around Jason's neck and his legs under his arms.

Jason made sure the toon was secure, he picked up his bat, and got to his feet. "I need you to hold on tight, okay? If we run into any trouble, I need to use my hands."

"Okay." Bendy held onto Jason as tightly as he could even though his legs were still shaky. His strength was returning, he just needed more time. Hopefully he can help out when everyone needs him.

"Alright, let's go!" Jason turned and headed for the door. He opened it slowly, listening out for any movement in the hallway. Jason looked around before stepping out of the room. There was ink splattered on the floor and against the walls and door.

"Geez, what happened here?" Bendy looked over Jason's shoulder and gasps. Jason continued, "I was chased down this hall by a bunch of searchers. There was a strange splashing sound before it got quiet." Bendy began to shake. The ink on the floors and walls was too fresh. The splatter was too familiar. He recognized this as the other Bendy's work.

"Uncle Jay, we need to get out of here." Jason could feel how shaken the toon was and decided to take his advice. It was too quiet anyway. He didn't like it.

"Alright partner, which way should I go?" Bendy got quiet for a moment before telling Jason they needed to head up. "Sounds good to me! Keep an eye out for any creepy crawlies. I needed you to watch my back." The toon agreed and they made their way cautiously down the dim hallway.

A few minutes after the duo left the hall, a tall figure stepped out from the other end. 'Bendy' shook his head and his smile grew a little wider. Linda's not going to be happy about this. Her carefully laid plan is starting to fall apart. If freeing the little ink spot ruined her day, he was more than happy with that.

.

 **OoOoOoOoO**

 **.**

Henry sighed. He got so worried when he couldn't feel Bendy's presence through their bond. He prodded it for awhile before the little toon answered him. Henry was so relieved to feel happiness flooding their bond, it almost overshadowed the guilt he couldn't seem to shake off. Not only was the toon happy, but there was a sense of safety there as well. This confused him for a moment until he realized the toon might not be alone. This gave Henry a glimmer of hope that Jason was with him.

"Henry? Is he…okay?" June's concern melted away when she saw the soft smile on her brother's face. He was also more relaxed.

" **Yeah. He felt a little weak in the bond, but I think he's doing just fine.** " Henry wasn't sure if he should mention Jason or not. He really didn't want to get her hopes if he was wrong about him being with Bendy. The feeling of safety was very strong from the little toon and Henry knew for a fact that he only felt that way around those he knew. " **I-I don't think he's alone.** "

Henry watched as June's eyes grew wide and she covered her mouth with her hand. "Jason?"

" **I'm not sure, but we're gonna find out**." He gave her other hand a reassuring squeeze. Henry knew that June needed more rest, but the sooner they got out of this place, the better. He told her that they needed to find everyone. June agreed. Determination filled her eyes.

"I know…where the girls are." She tried to stand without putting too much weight on her twisted ankle. Henry stood next to her and carefully wrapped a strong arm around her midsection. June hissed as she tried to bare the tightness in her side. He wanted her to take it easy, but she shook her head. "The girls are in…a break room a few…floors above us."

June looked at his other hand and notice it was still clawed. Even the hand around her waist was clawed. She raised an eyebrow at that and he chuckled before flexing his claws. " **Better safe than sorry. I'm not letting anything get the jump on us.** "

June leaned against him as he lead her out of the room. She shuddered when she saw what was left of the doll-like creatures that attacked her earlier. Their body parts were scattered around the room. June noticed the pipe she used earlier and asked Henry to hand it to her. She figured she could use it as a cane and weapon.

She hobbled out into the ink covered hall with her brother's support. Henry said they could take the elevator and June laughed nervously.

" **What's wrong?** "

"It's about...the elevator…" Henry looked at her, the soft green glow of his eyes dancing with curiosity. "You kinda…broke it." His expression went blank for a second, then he pressed his palm against his face, and groaned. His reaction caused her to giggle. Henry peaked at her between his large fingers. It was nice to see a genuine smile from her and even though the guilt was still there, it wasn't as crushing as before. He shook his head, a good natured grin spreading across his face. He told her they'll take the stairs.

A few moments later, they walked past the broken elevator. Neither one noticed the camera hidden close by.

.

 **-In The Office-**

 **.**

Linda was starting to loose her patience. It had been almost an hour since the wailing stopped. She was waiting for Henry to come back, carrying his sister's dead body. Those were the instructions she gave the ink slug. So here she was, sitting in front of a flickering screen, and waiting for some sign of Henry.

When Linda finally caught a glimpse of her new slave, she couldn't believe what she saw. June was still alive! Not only that, but Henry was helping her. She could tell June was hurt by her severe limp and the way Henry supported her, but that didn't change the fact that he didn't kill her. To make matters worse, it looks like she lost control of Henry. He must have expelled the slug, somehow.

Linda screamed. She pushed the surveillance equipment and papers off the desk. She howled and crushed the broken parts and papers under her feet. Her plans were falling apart before her eyes. How? She thought everything out, agonized over every detail, and made sure her underlings carried out her orders to the letter. So where did she go wrong?!

Linda stood in the mess she made, hunched over, and pulling at her hair. The neat bun long forgotten as her salt and pepper hair cascaded down her shoulders. No! This wasn't her fault. Her plan was perfect. Everyone else screwed up, not her!

She panted heavily and stared at the double doors from across the room. Something occurred to her and a sinister smile spread across her face. This wasn't over. She could still get her revenge.

Linda headed for the double doors. She stomped out into the hallway and headed for the stairs. If it was the last thing she did, they'll all pay for this.

.

 **-The Break Room-**

 **.**

It took every ounce of restraint for Norman not to pace the room. His encounter with Henry had left him shaken. June said she would lead him away, double back, and they would show her and the girls the exit. It seemed simple enough. They just had to keep an eye on the kids and wait for her to come back.

Then they heard the unmistaken crash of the elevator. Even though the adults didn't say anything, the kids knew something was wrong. They started to cry. Sammy spent twenty minutes trying to calm them down. They exhausted themselves and were huddled up on the couch. Norman hated to see them so scared. He stood in front of the door, ready to whisk June and the girls to the exit as soon as she walked through said door.

Norman prayed that their mother was okay. It had grown quiet for quite some time after the crash. Then the wailing started. They all heard it. A cry so full of sorrow that he swore he could feel it. From the reaction of everyone else in the room, they felt the same way he did. Even the children were stunned into silence. Sarah and Beth stared at the door with wide, fearful eyes.

"Momma…" Sarah whispered. Beth didn't say a word and just hugged her sister.

Sammy hissed softly and Alice stood quietly next to him. Norman felt helpless. He wanted to go out and find June, but he didn't know where she was. Plus, wandering around the Studio was a bad idea. The wait was making him anxious as well.

The halls grew quiet again. The ink creatures in the room took to watching the door while the girls comforted each other. Norman told them that as soon as their mother got back, they would help them get home. They just needed to wait a little while longer. That seemed to calm them a little bit, but he could tell they were still scared.

Everyone was startled when the doorknob began to jiggle. The girls jumped off the couch and stood next to Norman. The door opened slowly.

"Momma!" Beth yelled out. She was about to run for the door, but Norman held her back. The figure standing in the doorway wasn't June. Cold grey eyes scanned the room. They landed on him and widened in surprised. That only lasted for a second before they narrowed.

" **Linda. What do you want?** " Norman pushed the girls behind him. He didn't know why she was here, but it couldn't be good. She was scowling at the group as she stepped all the way into the room.

Linda stood there and stared at them. After a few quiet seconds she pointed towards the girls. "Bring those kids to me."


	6. It's Over!

**A/N:** This story is separate from my Slice of Life stories. This story picks up right where "All These Shadows Keep Closing In..." left off. If you haven't read that one yet, please do. It explains a lot. It's based on the ink! Henry stories and artwork done by shinyzango and themarginalartist on tumblr.

 **Disclaimer:** Bendy and the Ink Machine is owned by TheMeatly. I only own my Ocs.

 **.**

 **We Will Face The Darkness, Together.**

 **Part 6**

 **.**

Norman's inner lens shuttered with a click. He must have misunderstood her. Linda didn't just ask for the kids? He didn't think this crazy lady would go so far as to involve innocent children in her schemes.

" **What?** " Linda crossed her arms over her chest. She looked unamused and put off from having her orders questioned.

"You heard me. Bring those kids to me, NOW!" Alice gasped and began to talk to herself in hushed tones. Norman could hear the little girls whimper as he put himself between them and Linda. Sammy reached out and pulled the girls back towards him. He hissed at Linda, echoing Norman's sentiment.

" **Linda please, they're innocent children!** " He tried to appeal to her better nature, but from the look in her cold grey eyes, it wasn't going to work. She walked up to him and Norman stood his ground. This close, he could feel the power in her necklace dancing across his inky skin. It made him shudder.

"Either bring them to me, or get out of my way." Linda snarled. She reached up and stroked the jewels on her necklace. This caused Norman to shudder even more. Norman pleaded with her not to do this, but it fell on deaf ears. He didn't know what happened to June and Henry, but it must not have gone as plan if the woman was trying to get her hands on the girls.

"If you don't step aside, I will make you!" There was a flash of red and energy crackled across Norman's skin. It caused his limbs to seize and he staggered off to the side. 'Damn her!' If it wasn't for that enchanted necklace, they could easily protect the girls from her. Linda strolled past him as he tried to get his shaking body under control.

As Linda got closer, Sammy put himself between her and the little girls. She yelled for him to get out of the way but he refused, baring his sharp teeth and hissing at her loudly.

Norman began to panic. He could hear Beth and Sarah crying as they tried to hide behind Sammy. He knew it was just a matter of time before she pulled the same crap on Sammy and he'd have no choice but to step aside. Norman had to think of something quick.

Linda was tired of this. She reached up to touch the red gem on her choker when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her. Norman used his height to lift her off the ground. She screamed and cursed for him to let her go. The woman squirmed and kicked but Norman held her as tight as he could. He could already feel the energy from her necklace coursing through his system. It hurt like hell, but he refused to let go.

The projectionist was surprised when Sammy rushed forward and grabbed her legs to keep Linda from thrashing about. She cursed them both as waves of red energy bombarded their bodies like ocean waves crashing against the rocks. It was getting harder and harder for them to hold onto her. They needed to get the kids as far away from her as possible.

" **ALICE!** " Norman strained to have his voice heard over the sizzle and crackle of lightning dancing across their bodies. " **Alice! Take the girls and get out of here!** " He could feel his own ink running down his body. Even Sammy shrieked in pain.

Alice stared at Norman for a moment before darting forward and grabbing the girls by their arms. They screamed and called out to Norman and Sammy as they tried to pull away from Alice. Neither girl wanted to leave the room. Neither girl wanted to leave their friends.

" **Girls! Go with Alice!** " Norman's whole body began to shake. He could feel himself loosing his grip on Linda. " **We-We'll be f-fine! JUST GO!** " Alice took both girls by the hand and they fled the room.

The room began to sway and grow darker. Norman knew he was going to loose consciousness soon. He just hoped that he gave Alice and the girls enough time to get away.

* * *

Alice bolted down the hall with Beth and Sarah in tow. Both girls were crying. Alice did her best to calm them down and keep them moving. The fallen angel would try to stick to their original plan and get the girls to the exit. If they could get outside, Linda couldn't do anything to them.

Alice pulled the kids through a narrow doorway and they ended up in an inky, dimly lit workshop. Plush figures of Bendy, Boris, and Alice were strewn all over the floors and shelves. This was the easiest and somewhat safest way to reach the exit. The other was in the bowels of the Studio and out of the question. This was Norman's plan for getting June and her kids out in the first place. Alice didn't think she would be the one to carry this out. She figured she owed them one for putting them in danger earlier.

As they cleared the toy shop, they came face to face with a large Bendy image attached to a thick pillar. They stopped for a moment to catch their breath. It was then that Alice noticed something wasn't right. She tugged on the girls' hands and they walked down the steps. Thick rivets of ink was cascading down from the high ceiling and down the central pillar like a fountain. They walked past a giant Boris plush that was sitting next to the pillar. There were guardrails that herded them towards the middle of the walkway. What really made her nervous was the fact that they haven't run into anything yet.

Alice walked slowly down the walkway with the children behind her. All she had to do was make it through one of the doorways and they were home free. It was easy…maybe too easy. She stopped walking when she heard moaning and clicking sounds coming from the doorways. Various groups of Butcher gang clones shuffled out of both doorways and headed towards them. Alice began to back up. All of a sudden, there was a loud splashing sound from behind them. The group whirled around and saw searchers pulling themselves out of the Heavenly Toys' base. They were being surrounded.

There was no where for them to run. Beth and Sarah whimpered and pressed themselves against Alice's legs. The fallen angel placed her hands on their heads and snarled at the inky creatures to stay away! She was surprised that the creatures made a small circle around them. They growled, snarled, moaned, and clicked, but they still kept their distance. Alice thought their behavior was odd until she heard a familiar voice.

"Alice." The fallen angel felt a chill run down her spine. Linda walked out from around the central pilled, down the stairs, and stood near the wall to the right of the guardrail. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared down the little group.

"Alice, Alice, Alice." Linda shook her head. Her voice full of condescension. "I thought you were smarter than this." She sighed before a cruel smile creased her lips. "Tell you what, if you hand the girls over, you can walk away without a scratch."

Alice weighed her options. She had no weapons, she couldn't make a run for it because she had two sniveling children strapped her legs, and they were outnumbered. Linda's offer was pretty tempting. Alice was going to give her answer until she looked into Linda's eyes. The fallen angel flashed back to a time she was still human and her interactions with Joey Drew. She remembered how the man promised the world but betrayed her when it was convenient for him. Every time he lied, he had the same look in his eyes, the same slight smirk, that Linda had now!

Alice chuckled "Y'know what? You're a liar, just like your brother." If Alice had to punch, kick, and claw her way through these monsters, then so be it! She wasn't falling for another lie from a Drew ever again. "I'm not letting you lay a hand on these kids." Both girls looked up at her in surprised. Neither one thought Alice liked them very much, but she was willing to protect them? Maybe she wasn't as bad as they thought.

Linda scowled and waved her hand at the group. "Well, doesn't really matter. I had plans for them, but this will work just as well." Her scowl morphed into an eerie smile. She stroked the three gems on her choker, then snapped her fingers. The three red gems glowed brightly just as the ink at the base of the pillar overflowed onto the floor.

Alice and the girls gasped as the ink started to take shape. At first Alice thought it was just a giant searcher as a large body with long arms began to form. But the creatures body kept growing. Two featureless heads formed that were fused side by side. The two long arms bulked up with massive hands on the end. Further down the body, two smaller arms formed with misshapen hands on the end. The inky monstrosity opened both of its mouths and moaned loudly.

The little girls screamed and tried to hide behind the fallen angel. The floor began to shake as the hulking searcher dragged itself towards them. The other ink creatures moved to the sides to make way for the beast. It stopped and loomed over them, gurgling deeply, and inky drool dripping from its gaping maws.

Alice tried to back away from it but the Butcher Gang behind them kept her from getting very far. The double headed searcher growled and reached down to grab them. The fallen angel pushed the kids out of the way just as its massive hand closed around her. Sarah and Beth called out to her as the monster lifted her into the air.

Alice tried to wiggle out of the creature's tight hold, but it was too strong. It growled and just stared at her as though it was waiting for something.

"We don't need her, you fool!" Linda shouted. "Get rid of her and grab the kids." The creature tilted its massive heads then tossed Alice carelessly to the left. She hit the wall then slid down to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. The girls screamed and tried to run to her, but the massive searcher grabbed them.

The girls were so tiny in its large hand. Their yells and cries were muffled and they had a hard time breathing because it held them so tight.

"Don't crushed the little brats just yet." The searcher moaned and loosened its grip on the kids. "We'll wait for their uncle to show up, then you can do the honors." Linda cackled. Her shrilled voice bounced off the walls.

 **OoOoOoOoO**

It was slow going but Henry and June made their was up several flights of steps. She tried very hard not to show the pain she was in, but he knew. He could feel her body tense up every time they approached another flight of steps. He had offered to carry her but she vehemently refused. She told him he needed to be ready in case they got attacked…

The thing was, they made it this far and hadn't run into anything. It was so unusual, that it was putting Henry on edge. He jumped at every creak and moan the Studio made as they walked down those dim halls. One hand tightened around his sister's waist while the claws on the other flexed, ready to tear apart anything that crossed their path.

The next flight of stairs they took lead to a small room with a couch against the wall and a hammock hanging in the corner. Henry lead June to the couch and had her sit for awhile. She protested, but he ignored her. She needed a few minutes to rest.

"I'm sorry." June was breathing heavily. "I know…I'm slowing us…down." She sounded tired and frustrated as she ran her fingers through her hair. Henry placed his large hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

" **You don't have to apologize. Believe me, I've been there.** " Henry chuckled as he remembers all the times Bendy had to beg him to take a break after getting hurt. If it wasn't for his friend, he knew he would have pushed himself to exhaustion. The room was fairly quiet save for the dripping of ink in the corners. While June used that time to catch her breath, Henry was listening out for something…ANYTHING that might try to sneak up on them. He was beginning to wonder where all the monsters had gone when he heard something trudging up the stairs.

June heard it as well. She tried to get up, but Henry shook his head. He'd handle this. He slid off the couch quietly and stood to the side of the door frame. Henry flexed his claws. He was ready to swipe at whatever stepped into the room. The footsteps grew louder. A large shadow fell across the floor. He crouched down and cocked his arm back. As soon as he got a glimpse of something stepping through the doorway, he swung at it…

Only to hear June call out to him and his claws come into contact with a wooden bat wrapped in barbed wire. Henry startled when he realized who it was!

" **Jason!** " His eyes grew wide as he pulled his hand away.

"H-Henry!?" Jason seemed just as surprised as him. He backed up a few steps so he could get a better look at his brother-in-law. Henry knew he must have made quite a sight, what with his sharp teeth and long inky claws.

"Jay!" both men turned to see June struggling to get up from the couch.

"Juniper!" Jason shouted. Before Henry could say anything, a small head peaked over Jason's shoulder. Black, pie cut eyes blinked and grew as big as saucers. The grin on the little toon's face was a sight for sore eyes. "HENRY!" The little toon scrambled up Jason's shoulders and jumped. Henry had a split second to open his arms and catch his friend.

" **B-Bendy! Oh god, you're okay!"** Henry fell to his knees and hugged the toon tightly. Tears ran down his cheek as he listen to Bendy sob into his shoulder. The poor toon was shaking as he told Henry how close he came to giving up and how Jason saved him.

Henry looked up, ready to thank Jason, but stopped when he saw June in his arms. He held in a way to support her weight and hug her at the same time. Jason rocked her in his arms as her shoulders shook. Henry could hear her crying softly. The sound sent a spike through his heart and made him grimace. Bendy jumped at the sudden uptick in emotions and asked him what was wrong. Henry just shook his head and told the little toon that he would talk about it later.

"I'm here baby, I'm here." Jason whispered in her ear and waited for June to calm down. He placed his fingers under her chin and lifted her head so he could see her face. They both smiled before he leaned in close and kissed her on the forehead. She tried to wipe the tears from her eyes and pull herself together. It was then that Jason took a moment to look her over. Concern was written all over his face as he asked her what happened over and over. She looked at her brother before telling Jason about her injuries. She promised to tell him how she got them later, but they needed to grab the girls and get out of here. Jason didn't look satisfied but he knew she was right.

Bendy wiggled out of Henry's arms and hobbled over to Jason and June. She smiled as fresh tears ran down her cheeks when she saw the little toon's smiling face. She reached down and ruffled her fingers between his horns.

"Oh Bendy…I'm glad you're alright." Bendy's smile slipped when he noticed how stiff she was moving. It reminded him of the times Henry got hurt. He wanted her to rest a bit longer, but she refused. June stated she could rest once they escaped this place.

Jason helped June while Bendy stuck close to Henry. He was happy to be able to walk again even if his legs still felt a little wobbly. Everyone was on high alert as they moved down the dark hallways. The lack of searchers or even Butcher Gang clones was really concerning for Henry and Bendy. When Jason asked "Where is everyone?", they both knew something was really wrong.

A few minutes went by and June recognized the floor they were on when they walked by a Bendy statue in the corner of the hall. She told them that they were getting close to the break room the girls were in. June tried to move quicker when she noticed the door to the room was wide open. Her growing sense of unease was well founded once they saw what was inside.

There were two inky figures slumped on the floor. Henry recognized them both. He growled softly and wondered why they were here. Bendy peaked around his legs and gasped. Neither were expecting to see those two incapacitated. Henry was more than willing to leave them and move on but June hobbled into the room with Jason in tow.

Henry was surprised when June fell to her knees before the projectionist. He was going to stop her when he saw her reach out to him and called his name.

"Norman! Norman!" She winced as she reached out and shook his shoulder. Her hand sunk into his inky skin. Henry grew even more weary when he heard a soft moan from the creature. He knelt next to his sister and never took his eyes off the projectionist as he slowly regain consciousness.

" **Sis, you know who he is?** " He flexed his claws, ready to strike if the creature tried anything. Jason wasn't taking any chances as well and stood close by with his bat at the ready.

"Y-Yeah. He was…keeping an eye… on the girls. He said…he'd take us…to the exit." Both men were surprised by this. Henry looked over to see Bendy kneeling at the still form of Sammy. He could clearly feel a wave of guilt coming from the little toon. Henry was about to say something when Norman started coming to.

" **Ugh…wha?** " There were a series of clicks and they could see his inner lens shutter a few times. His head tilted and he seemed to focus on June. " **June? June! You're alive!** " Henry was more than a little surprised that the projectionist could speak! Norman turned his head towards him. " **Henry? Oh god, Henry!** " He looked back at June. " **You-You saved him…** " June nodded and watched as Norman tried to sit up. Henry placed his hands against his back to helped him.

"Norman, where are the girls?" June's tone was panicked. There was no sign of the children anywhere.

" **I'm so sorry.** " Norman sighed and hung his head. " **We tried to stop Linda, but that damned necklace protected her!** " He balled his large hand into a shaky fist. " **She tried to take the girls.** "

June covered her mouth and shook her head frantically. They were so close to getting out of here and now that crazy woman had her girls? This was more than she could bare. Norman reached out and took her other hand. He squeezed it softly until he got her attention.

" **Alice took the kids and ran!** " June's eyes lit up with hope. " **We couldn't stop Linda, but we gave the girls a good head start.** " She wanted to cry with relief but she knew they didn't have time for that. " **She's taking them to the exit, just like we planned.** "

" **Norman.** " The projectionist looked at Henry. " **Which exit?** " He prayed it wasn't the exit in the bowls of the studio. He still had nightmares about that place. The thought that the angel was taking the kids through that, made him feel sick.

" **She's taking them to the main entrance on the first floor. They have to pass through the Heavenly Toys workshop to get there.** " That was a huge relief to Henry and he knew exactly how to get there. June thanked Norman and wanted to help him more, but the projectionist told her that he'll be alright. They needed to get to the kids as soon as possible because Linda was hot on their heels.

Henry thanked him as well while helping June to her feet. He called out to Bendy and they left the room as quickly as they could. Norman crawled over to Sammy to make sure he was okay. He placed his hand his hand on the former prophet's neck. Norman heard a soft hiss and he sighed with relief. Now he just hoped that the others reach the kids in time.

.

 **-Heavenly Toys-**

 **.**

There was a great sense of urgency as Henry lead the others through the maze-like hallways on their way to the workshop. He knew June was pushing herself hard and he was so glad Jason was there to support her. Bendy was at his side, filling their bond with determination. Henry will do whatever it takes to get his nieces back!

They ran past the shelves of plush toys and ink covered floors. Henry growled as the throbbing from the pentagram in his right hand grew more intense. He knew something was really wrong but nothing could prepare him for what awaited them as they ran through the doorway.

Henry managed to take a few steps down on the left hand side of the pillar then froze in place. The others caught up to him and were all stunned into silence. There had to be dozen upon dozens of ink creatures gathered around what appeared to be a huge searcher with its back to them. Further up the left path laid the crumpled body of Alice Angel. The girls were no where in sight and that made his heart sink.

Laughter from across the room caught everyone's attention. "Well, well, well, the gang's all here! It's about time you showed up." Linda eyed Henry with a lopsided grin. "You took so long, I almost got bored." Henry growled at her.

June stumbled forward and gripped the railing to keep her balance. "Where…are my girls!" She glared daggers at the crazy woman.

"Your girls? Hmm, now where could they be?" Linda rubbed her chin as she feigned ignorance. Henry was loosing his patience with her. " **LINDA!** " His deep, booming voice caused June and Jason to jump. Bendy frowned and stared at the woman. Something about her seemed so familiar, he just couldn't put his finger on it.

Linda narrowed her eyes at Henry before waving her hand towards the hulking searcher. "Well, there's no need to shout. You want to know where your precious nieces are? They're right over there."

They all watched as the two heads turned in their direction as it shifted its massive body. It held a closed fist close to its chest. It took the adults a moment to see the two small heads barely poking out the top of its large hand. The girls wide eyes and muffled screams caused the adults to jump into action!

"If you hurry, you might be able to save then!" Linda said in a sing song voice.

Henry jumped over the guardrail and ran towards the group of ink creatures that was blocking his path. With outstretched claws, he tore through body after body as he made his way towards the monster that held his nieces.

Jason grabbed June by her shoulders and told her to stay back. He asked Bendy to look after her while he helped Henry. The toon wanted to argue. He wanted to help too, but Jason wasn't sure he had his strength back and the last thing he wanted was for the little toon to get hurt. Bendy grumbled under his breath but agreed to stay with June. Jason gave them both a sharp nod and hopped over the guardrail. He ran down the walkway to join Henry in the fray.

Each searcher or clone they took out, another one took their place. Some of the ink spilled either by Jason's bat or Henry's claws was absorbed by the ink already clinking to Henry's body. It added more bulk to his body that protected him from blows and added to his increasing strength. Jason had to keep his distance as Henry roared and tossed bodies off to the side. If they didn't splatter into a puddle of goo when they hit the wall, Jason was there to finish them off.

All the splashing, moaning, and screeching drowned out the sound of more searchers emerging from the base of the pillar behind them. Bendy and June noticed this and they yelled out for Jason to watch his back. He turned just in time to keep from getting smothered. Soon Henry and Jason was fighting back to back as they inched their way closer to the huge searcher.

Bendy was getting frustrated. He looked over at June. She gripped the guardrail tightly and biting her bottom lip. He eyes never left Beth and Sarah. Fear was written all over his face…and he hated it! The toon balled his hands into tight fists. He wants to help! He wants to get the girls away from that monster!

"Uh oh, looks like Henry's taking too long." June and Bendy's heads snapped in Linda's direction. The woman looked incredibly smug and the little toon scowled at her. "Sorry Juney, looks like he's out of time!" She turned towards the fighting as she stroked something that was around her neck. She yelled out, "CRUSH THEM!" and the hulking searcher started to move.

June watched in horror as the creature raised its other hand and began to lower over her children's heads. They couldn't struggle because it was holding them so tight. She made eye contact with both girls and the fear she saw made her heart stop. Henry and Jason were fighting their way through the mass of creatures around them, but they won't make it in time!

Bendy couldn't take it anymore. He refused to stand around and do nothing. He ducked under the railing and ran towards the base of the Heavenly Toys' pillar. The little toon closed his eyes and jumped into the pool of ink. As the ink surrounded him, he could feel himself getting lost in it. Like the ink wanted to sweep his mind away into its dark depths. But he refused to be lost! His family needed him and he won't let them down…

June only saw the movement out of the corner of her eye. By the time she turned her head, Bendy had jumped into the pool of ink. She called out to him, but it was too late. ' _Why did he do that!?_ ' June was scared and confused. There was so much going on, she was overwhelmed. She didn't know what to do!

The ink at the base of the pillar grew still for a moment before it began to bubble violently. It started to overflow and spill out onto the floor. June watched as it flowed towards the fighting. She gasped when a body, a huge body began to form from the ink. A head topped with large curvy horns dripping ink rose up. It opened its mouth and huge, sharp fangs glistened in the dim light. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. There was another monster out to hurt her family and all she could do was watch!?

Two huge, muscular arms ending in large clawed hands formed at its sides. The creature dragged itself up to the hulking searcher. It roared and grabbed the searcher by the wrist. It yanked the creature's arm, causing it to loose its balance.

* * *

Jason didn't realize how crazy things were getting until a large shadow fell over him. He took a moment to look up and wished he hadn't. With Henry standing at his back and two giant ink monsters looming over them, he had never felt so small in his life! He was scared for his children! They were in a tug-o-war between two monsters and he couldn't do a thing to stop it! "Henry, the kids are in trouble!" Jason shouted.

Henry glanced up, but didn't seem worried at all. He smirked and returned to the fighting. Jason had to scrambled out of the way when the monster holding his kids lost its balance and crushed a few of those toy-like creatures under its bulk. He had a hard time concentrating on what was going on above him when he was getting swarmed by searchers. He just prayed the other creature was on their side.

* * *

Bendy squeezed the searcher's wrist. It moaned out in pain and tried to pull away. The large ink demon growled and kept at it until the searcher's wrist burst and severed its hand. He managed to catch the girls in his other hand as the severed hand fell apart. Beth and Sarah coughed and took in huge gulps of air, but other than being covered in ink, they seemed to be alright.

Bendy crawled back as the hulking searcher howled and thrashed about. He cupped his claws around the frightened girls to keep them safe. He looked to his side and saw June. She was pacing frantically from side to side and yelling for her children. He leaned over and lowered his massive hand over the guardrail. Bendy tilted his hand until the little girls tumbled out and into the waiting arms of their mother.

June fell to her knees as she wrapped her arms around Beth and Sarah. She couldn't stop the tears from blurring her vision. Her girls were really here and they were safe! They were saved by… She blinked away the blurriness and looked up at the figure looming over them. Now that his features were fully formed, she recognized him.

"Bendy?!" His smile grew wider as he nodded. His visible eye glowed a soft white as he stared down at him. She smiled and thanked him profusely.

The hulking searcher managed to regenerate its hand just as it rushed towards Bendy. Henry called out to him but it was too late. The searcher wrapped its long arms around the large ink demon in a bear hug, trapping his arms at his sides. It used its smaller arms to dig into Bendy's sides.

"BENDY!" June screamed when one of the two heads reared back and bit into the his shoulder. His roar shook the walls around them as he struggled in the hulking searcher's hold. June covered the girls' ears but the roar left her own ears ringing.

The soft white glow of Bendy's visible eye turned into an eerie red. He snarled and looked absolutely furious. The ink demon backed up, using his weight to push the searcher back. Linda had to jump out of the way when the creature's back hit the wall close to her.

Bendy leaned forward then back again, slamming the bulk searcher against the wall. He did this over and over again until it gurgled loudly and loosened its grip enough for the large toon to slip his arm out. Bendy cocked his muscular arm back, flexed his claws, then thrust them into the head that was clamped down on his shoulder. There was a loud screech from the other head as ink rained down from the face Bendy just clawed.

The creature was left reeling. It let Bendy go as it tried to cover its ruined face. Bendy wheeled around and punched the creature in the midsection. The hulking searcher doubled over before being grabbed by its shoulders and slammed onto the floor. The force of which caused the entire floor to shake. Bendy didn't give the creature a chance to recover. He jumped on it, pinned it down, and continued to punch it in the face and midsection.

* * *

Sarah was shaking like a leaf. There was so much fighting going on that she tried to hide her face in her mother's shoulder. All the yelling, growling, and moaning was scaring her. She just wanted to go home and forget this crazy place! Sarah turned her head slightly and noticed Alice sitting against the wall. She wasn't moving, like a broken doll. She gasped and wiggled out of her mother's arms. Sarah ran to the fallen angel.

"Sarah! Come back here!" June shouted. Beth let go and ran after her sister. They both stood near Alice and tried to shake her shoulders.

"Ms. Angel? Ms. Angel? Please…wake up!" June hobbled up to them, one hand on the railing while the other gripped the pipe like a cane. She stopped near the fallen angel and looked her over. She let go of the rail and touched the side of Alice's neck. June was surprised at how solid the woman felt. It wasn't the cool sliminess like Norman. It almost felt like real skin. The more she thought about it, the more it confused her.

Standing this close, June could see that the woman was breathing. It was just very shallow. "Alice. Alice! Can you hear us?" She shook the fallen angel's shoulder until a soft moan escaped her lips. The girls looked relieved as they continued to shake her.

June took the time to look around the room. Jason and Henry was plowing through the army of ink creatures at one end of the walkway. Bendy was pounding the heck out of the two headed searcher near the middle of the room. Linda was staring at them all with increasing fury. Suddenly, movement from further up the left walkway caught her attention. A small group of those twisted toy monsters came running out from behind the pillar. They were heading their way!

June told the girls to stay behind her! She stood up and leaned against the railing as she got ready to defend her children from the monsters. She wasted no time bashing the first one to reach them in the head. It collapsed to the ground while the next one leaped over it. This one had a plunger leg and swung a pile wrench at her. June blocked the blow and used the end of the pipe to poke the creature in the eye. Ink sprayed out as it staggered around blindly and fell over the railing. Her ribs were screaming for her to stop, but she couldn't afford to. She refused to let these things lay a finger on her girls again!

A loud screech made June jump. Then, a bright light blinded her and the creatures she was fighting. Heavy footfalls were heading in their direction. June lifted the pipe, ready to defend herself, when the toy-like monsters were ripped away from her.

"Mr. Norman! Mr. Sammy!" Beth called out. June's eyes grew wide as she watched Sammy open his vertical mouth wide and bite down on one of the creature's body. He tore it in half with no problem. Norman used his large fists to break their necks and toss their bodies away like garbage.

Soon the two men made their way to June. Sammy froze when he saw Alice then rushed to her side. He checked on her while the girls told him what happened. Norman walked up to June and took her by the hand to steady her. " **Hey! You and the girls alright?** " She was trying to catch her breath, then she thanked him. She really appreciated their help.

Norman tilted his head slightly to look past June. " **Sammy! How's our angel doin'?** " Sammy hissed softly before lifting Alice up in his arms. She moaned and rested her head on his shoulder.

June looked concerned. "Will she…be okay?"

" **Yeah. It's nothing some thick ink and time can't fix.** " Norman looked around and nearly jumped out of his inky skin at the sight of a large figure hunched over in the middle of the room. It was clawing at what was left of a giant searcher laying on the floor. " **What in blue blazes is that thing!?** "

"That's Bendy." June smiled. "Our Bendy." The large toon stopped his attack when the hulking searcher's body began to bubble and melt into a puddle of ink. That left him growling lowly and his glowing red eye swiveling in all directions.

Jason and Henry finished off the last searchers. Jason breathed a sigh of relief. There was a moment where they got a little overwhelmed by shear numbers but they pulled through in the end. He ran to a gap in the railing, ran to his family, then swept June and the girls into a big hug. He was so glad they all made it through this nightmare alive!

Henry approached a snarling Bendy carefully. He was so enraged that the toon might snap at anyone that got too close. He even growled at him but Henry wasn't deterred.

The ink that coated Henry's body began to sloth off and fall to the floor. Most of the ink dripped off his hands and some of it got pulled back into the pentagram in his right hand. Even Henry's eyes returned to normal. It was over. Everyone was safe. Now, he just needed to calm Bendy down.

He held both hands out to the toon to show that he wasn't going to hurt him. "Easy there bud." Bendy's stare focused on him as he lowered his large head. "You did good bud. You saved the girls. See!" Henry pointed and the ink demon's eye swiveled in their direction. Henry could feel relief flood their bond, drowning out the rage he felt earlier. He got close enough to touch the toon's cheek.

The whole room grew quiet as everyone watched Henry whisper something to the large ink demon. Bendy shut his eye tight and whined as tears ran down his cheek. After a moment, the toon opened his eye and the red glow was gone replace with a soft white. His features softened and he pressed his forehead against Henry's.

"Alright Bendy, we're all safe now. You can let go." Everyone watched in fascination as the large toon through his head back and sighed as his body began to melt. The body became a fountain of ink that flooded the floor up to everyone's ankles. What was left behind was an on model version of Bendy. He was on his hands and knees and shivering uncontrollably. Henry picked the toon up and hugged him tightly.

"H-Henry?" The toon sniffled and buried his face in the man's shoulder. "Did-did I do okay?" The question nearly broke Henry's heart. He did better than 'okay'.

"Oh bud, you did great. Thank you so much." Bendy chuckled softly and relaxed in Henry's arms. "C'mon Bendy, we're going home."

"Home…" The little toon was exhausted but very happy. The nightmare was over and he was going home to a family that really wanted him! A sort of warmth bloomed deep within his chest. He hadn't been this happy since Henry helped him escape the Studio the first time.

Henry was about to leave when a shrilled voice stopped him dead in his tracks.

"YOU! YOU, BASTARD!" Linda stumbled out from the right hand side of the pillar. She was breathing heavily and gripping the rail so tight, her knuckles turned white.

Henry scowled and shook his head. "It's over Linda." His calmness seemed to anger her even more.

"Over? OVER!?" She threw her head back and laughed hysterically. "NONONO! You don't get to walk away from this! You don't get to act like nothing happened! You don't deserve a happy ending…" The more he watched her, the more unhinged she seemed. "Not after you killed my brother. You took my JoJo away from me!"

Bendy gasped and shuddered in Henry's arms. He whispered, "JoJo? J-Joey?! She's Joey's sister?" It was then he realized why she seemed so familiar. Her eyes. Those cold grey eyes. It was just like his! The memory of the things Joey did made him whimper.

Henry hugged the little toon tighter and growled at her. At this point, he was tired of her crap. Her lust for revenge not only put himself and Bendy in danger, but put his entire family in danger as well. Not to mention dragging Sammy, Alice, and Norman into her schemes. He was tired of taking the blame for Joey's mistakes.

"I didn't take Joey away from you! Joey died because of the shit he pulled here!" Linda stared at him wide eyed. "Look at this place! It was once a normal studio full of hopes and dreams, then Joey twisted it all to suit his own ego." Henry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "He took credit for other people's work and ruined their lives just because he wanted to live forever."

"My brother was a genius! If others couldn't see that, then they deserved what they got!" Henry could hear Sammy hiss angrily and Norman mumble that the woman didn't know what she was talking about.

Henry just stared at her. He was still angry but it was tinged with pity. "Linda, this studio has turned into a twisted shadow of its former self. It's full of lost souls and broken dreams. Don't let it drag you down too." And with that, he turned his back to her, and walked away.

Linda was furious. Everything she worked for fell apart before her very eyes. Her plans were ruined by the fools she surrounded herself with. Just like her brother, none of them understood…

Maniacal laughter filled the room. Linda's eyes were wide and she had a toothy grin plastered on her face. Everyone agreed, she had truly lost her mind.

"It doesn't matter if you leave the Studio. I will track you down. This will never be over. I will keep sending these ink creatures after you and your family until one day you slip up and someone dies!" Beth and Sarah began to cry as they hid behind their parents. "I will make sure you spend the rest of your days looking over your shoulder and jumping at shadows!" Linda narrowed her cold eyes at the three ink monstrosities that had been nothing but trouble since she dragged their souls out of the machine.

"And as for you three…" she leveled a withering glare at them. "There is no where in this studio you can hide from me! I will find you all and punish you." Alice shivered in Sammy's arms. He pulled her closer to his chest. "I will torture you until your inky bodies give out, you'll die, and I will drag your souls back to do it all over again!" She laughed at the shocked expression on everyone's faces.

But Linda's laughter was cut short when she noticed the lights growing dim. Inky veins began to crawl up the walls all around them. An ink portal formed on the wall a few feet away from her. A tall figure stepped out and walked towards her.

Henry gritted his teeth. Of course 'Bendy' would show up now. They were so close to leaving this place and he was about to ruin that. "Norman." The projectionist turned towards him. "If he attacks us, take my family, and run! I'll hold him off as long as I can." The little toon heard this and begged Henry not to do that. He handed the toon off to Jason and asked him to look after his friend. Bendy tried to squirm out of the man's arms, but Jason held him tight. Henry turned back to the scene unfolding before them.

Linda grew giddy as the ink demon approached her. Maybe she still had a chance to get her revenge. A little voice in the back of her mind was asking, 'where was he all this time?' but she ignored it. He was here now, that's all that mattered.

"Good, good, you're here!" she pointed towards Henry. "Don't let him get away! I don't care what happens to the others…" A smug smile spread across her face as she glared at Henry. "Just bring him to me, alive."

Henry tensed up as he waited for the ink demon to carry out her orders. Seconds past, but nothing happened. 'Bendy' just stood there and stared at her.

Linda's patience with the whole situation was growing thin. She turned on the demon and yelled at him. "Didn't you here me? GET HIM!" Again, the demon just stood there. In fact, his grin grew even wider. She stomped her foot like a petulant child and pointed at him. "What are you waiting for? Do as I say!" He just shook his head.

Linda screamed and threw her hands in the air. The group looked on in silence. Henry wondered at the strange way the demon was acting. He just stood there calmly as she stomped around like a spoiled child that wasn't getting her way. It was very surreal.

She stormed up to the ink demon. Her head barely came up to the bow tie on his chest. He stared down at her and even laughed as though he found her antics amusing. This caused Linda's temper to flare. She reached up and stroked the gems of her choker with the tips of her fingers.

"Are you disobeying me?" a sneer marred her face. "Fine! Then I guess I'll have to punish you again!"

'Bendy' huffed and tilted his head back. Linda was confused by his reaction until she noticed the lack of collar around his neck. She stuttered and stumbled away from the demon. He was the strongest residence of the Studio. That's why she collared him. Her other spells weren't strong enough to affect him. She created the collar as a direct way to control him and now it's gone!

"T-That's not possible! No creature of ink could remove that collar. I made sure of that!"

Everyone jumped when June laughed suddenly. 'Bendy' turned toward the sound. His wheezing laughter joined June's and it weirded everyone out.

"June, what's going on?" Henry sounded concern. June gave him a reassuring smile before answering his question.

"He didn't remove that collar…" she glared at Linda and snarled, "I did!"

The whole room grew still as the enormity of the situation hit them. The ink demon was free! No one was controlling him.

Linda's eye began to twitch. Her face morphed into outright rage. Her face and neck grew red as she yelled at June. "You, you…BITCH! Do you realize what you've done?!"

"Yeah…" June narrowed her eyes at the irate woman. "You can't control him anymore."

It seemed that fact just hit Linda. She grew incredibly pale as she slowly turned towards the demon. Linda realized she was standing too close when he leaned forward and hissed at her. She turned on her heels and tried to run away. She didn't get very far. The demon's large, gloved hand shot out and he grabbed her by her waist. He yanked her until her back hit his chest and he wrapped his other arm around her.

Everyone watched as 'Bendy' dragged Linda back to the ink portal he came out of. She was screaming for help but no one made a move to assist her. The demon stepped through the portal and pulled her along with him. Linda grabbed the outer edges of the portal to try to pull free of his grip, but it didn't work. He was stronger than her and with one good tug, she disappeared into the ink. Only her screams echoed through the area. The portal closed, the inky veins faded, and the lights brightened.

It grew quiet save for the soft cries of the girls. Jason covered their eyes so they couldn't see what happened, but they could hear everything.

Norman reached out and placed his hand on Henry's shoulder. " **C'mon, let's get you and your family to the exit. I think y'all had enough of this place.** " Henry agreed whole heartily. He took Bendy back from Jason and the group trudged their way to the next stairwell.

.

 **OoOoOoOoO**

 **.**

They made their way up each flight of steps slowly. The group often stopped to let June rest. She was in a lot of pain and they really wanted to leave to get her some help.

They made it to the main floor in silence. Henry took June over to a group of chairs set up near a projector. Since they were so close to the exit, they could afford to let her get off her feet for awhile before they left. Sammy lowered Alice into a seat near June. The angel regained consciousness on their way there and the two women talked quietly with one another.

Sammy went into one of the rooms and came out with a couple of dusty sheets. He handed them to Beth and Sarah so they could try to get some of the ink off. Henry watched as Bendy walked up to Sammy. The little toon apologized for what happened in the studio months ago. He didn't want to go into too much detail since the girls were standing there, but the former prophet knew what he meant. The toon was surprised and relieved when Sammy reached out and patted him on the head.

Henry sighed and turned towards Norman. "So, what will you guys do now?"

The projectionist tilted his head in thought. " **Well, whether we like it or not, this place is our home. We've been trapped here so long, our families probably think we're dead.** " Norman scratched the back of his head. " **Not sure I'd want my folks seeing me like this anyway…** " Henry understood. He didn't like it but he knew where Norman was coming from.

"What about 'Bendy'?" The demon was free now. He could come after them if he wanted. That thought disturbed Henry.

" **Well, he likes to roam the lower levels. He can have that hell hole!** " The projectionist chuckled. " **We have no reason to go back down there. Maybe we'll fix these levels and make them livable.** "

Henry thought that was a good idea. If they stuck together, like Norman suggested, they could keep each other safe.

" **When things quiet down, I'll head back down to Linda's office and scrounge around a bit. I wanna check out the books and paperwork she got from Joey. Maybe there's somethin' in there that'll tell us how we can free ourselves.** " Henry looked surprised by that. " **Even if we die, our souls are bound to the ink.** "

Norman crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. " **Until we break that bond, none of us will truly be free. Who knows…** " he tilted his head towards Henry's right hand. " **Maybe we can find a way to get rid of that too.** "

Henry lifted his hand to his face and stared at the pentagram. It was a sign that he will always be apart of this place. It would be a step to having a normal life if he could get rid of it. Until then, he'll just have to live with it and use it when he needs to protect his family.

"Um, Mr. Norman?" Both men startled at Sarah's soft voice. Neither one noticed her walk up. The projectionist knelt down so he wasn't looming over her.

" **Hey there! Y'all ready to head home?** " Sarah nodded but still looked uneasy. Norman tilted his head to the side. " **What's wrong?** "

Sarah looked up at her uncle before looking back at him. "Will-Will we see you again? C-Can we come back to visit you?"

Norman's head snapped back. Henry and Sarah could hear the soft clicks from his inner mechanisms. He was speechless. After everything that happened tonight and she wanted to see him again? Amazing…

" **Ah, well…right now, it's too dangerous to hang around here…** " Norman felt a twinge of guilt at the dejected look on Sarah's face. Then he got an idea. " **Tell ya what, if it's alright with your uncle, ask him for the address here and you can write me whenever you want!** "

The little girl's eyes lit up and she looked up at Henry. He ran his fingers through his hair as he found it hard to say 'No' to that cute face. "Yeah, I guess it'll be okay."

Norman wasn't expecting to have a little girl barrel into his chest. Sarah almost knocked him off balance. She was trying to hug him. "Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! I promise to tell you about all the movies I go to see!" The projectionist chuckles and carefully wrapped his arms around her. He hadn't been hugged in a long time. Norman almost forgot how. She reminded him so much of his little sister and he felt himself getting choked up. " **T-That sounds great kid. I'm looking…forward to it!** "

Soon it was time for them to leave. The girls said their goodbyes to the three inky beings with a promise to write them as soon as they could. Jason thanked them all for their help and told Alice and Sammy he had no hard feelings about the kidnapping. Alice chuckled nervously and Sammy nodded. Both were glad to hear that. Henry told Norman that he'll keep in touch and if they needed help freeing themselves from the machine, to let him know. He'd be more than happy to help.

June struggled to get out of the chair, but yelped when Jason swept her off of her feet and carried her out of the studio bridal style. She complained that she could walk, but he just ignored her. Walking on that bad ankle would just make it worse. The girls followed close behind their parents while Henry and Bendy were left shaking their heads.

The group walked to Jason's big rig that was parked across the street. He unlocked the doors and helped June and the girls into the back seat. Henry sat on the passenger side with Bendy in his lap. Jason hopped up in the driver's side and started 'Lucy' up. He took a minute to make sure everyone was secure, then pulled out, and left the Studio in the dust.

It was mid-afternoon when they hit the road. The setting sun was extremely bright as it glared off the windshield and neatly blinded everyone in the big rig. No one complained though. They were just happy to be able to see the sun again.

Jason put on some soft jazz music to cut through the heavy silence. No one wanted to talk about what happened back there, at least not yet. He was fine with that. After running on adrenaline all night, everyone was tired.

Jason and Henry agreed that once they got home, everyone would change out of their ink covered clothes, then they were taking June straight to the emergency room. It was easier to make up a story about how she got hurt without trying to explain why they were all covered in the dark liquid. No sane person would believe them even if they did tell them the truth.

Henry watched as the sun set, painting the sky in gorgeous pinks, reds, and yellows. Soon that all faded to deep blues and purples with stars twinkling in the night sky. It made him feel even more grateful that he escaped the Studio a second time.

Bendy was exhausted. He managed to keep his eyes open for an hour before falling asleep in Henry's lap. The toon was curled up with his head pressed against his chest. There was a certain calmness to the toon's feelings that made Henry smile. Soft snoring from behind him let him know that Bendy wasn't the only one that was tired. June and the girls had managed to drift off to sleep. She sat in the middle with Beth and Sarah pressed on either side of her.

Even though he was tired, Henry refused to go to sleep. He needed to get something off of his chest and now seemed like the right time to do that.

"Hey Jay?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you." Jason blinked and looked at Henry for a second then returned his attention to the dark stretch of highway ahead of them.

"For what?"

"For talking me out of trying to save everyone alone." Henry stared down at Bendy and rubbed the back of his head. The little toon sighed and snuggled up to his chest. "If I had gone at it alone, I don't think we would have made it out of there alive." He groaned and laid his head back against the headrest. "So, thank you for keeping me from making the second biggest mistake of my life."

Jason mulled over what Henry said. He would have never let Henry face all that alone. Even though he was his brother-in-law, Jason considered Henry to be the brother he always wanted. He'd do anything to help him because he knew Henry would do the same.

"No problem bro. We're family! We'll always look out for one another."

Henry smiled and closed his eyes. "Yeah…you're right about that." With that off his chest, he let himself finally drift off to sleep.

.

 **-In The Lower Levels of the Studio-**

 **.**

A lone figure shuffled down the dimly lit halls that he called home. How dare that woman think she could walk in here and take over. She thought she had everything figured out. She thought she was in control. Well, she thought wrong!

This was his domain. His own little world to lord over. No one will take that away from him…not even the kin to the man that summoned him in the first place.

Then the ink demon's thought drifted to Sammy, Norman, and Alice. He supposed he could cut those three a little slack. He'll pop up every once and awhile to give them a little fright, but he had no desire to drag them back to the ink. As long as they stayed out of his way, they'll be fine.

'Bendy' stopped at the double doors that lead to Linda's office. He ducked his head as he stepped into the quiet space. All the way in the back, he could see papers and broken equipment scattered all over the floor. He chuckled when he thought about the grand hissy fit she must have had when she found out Henry didn't kill his sister.

Then he noticed the glass jar full of clear liquid sitting on the desk in the middle of the room. 'Bendy' walked up to it. The top was off and sitting next to the jar. He was glad she didn't break it when she stormed out of the room. He could still use it.

'Bendy' held his large, gloved hand over the opening and dropped something inside. It was an ink slug. It looked just like any slug swimming around in the ink save for a strange red ring around the thing's 'neck'. He took the top and screwed it on tight.

'Bendy' lifted the glass jar until it was at eye level. He watched as the little creature swam around in frantic circles and threw its body against the glass. He tapped the glass with the tips of his fingers and chuckled.

"Welcome to your new home, Linda." He walked out of the office with the jar in hand. He'll stash the jar someplace where no one will find it and she'll never get the chance to be reborn. She will swim around in this jar, alone for all eternity, and ever be reunited with her precious brother. Not even in death.


End file.
